PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The Portsmouth City Health Department is reminding residents to know Ohio’s open burning regulations before lighting any fires this season, warning that improperly burned materials can release toxic fumes linked to serious health problems.
The health department’s Air Division, which enforces open burning rules locally on behalf of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said in a social media post that burning leaves and other plant material can send out spores that cause difficulty breathing, and that pollutants from open burning have been linked to asthma, respiratory illness, nervous system damage, kidney and liver damage, and reproductive or developmental disorders.
Under the regulations, residents may burn clean, seasoned firewood for campfires, occupational fires and ceremonial fires, the health department said. Campfires are limited to no more than 3 feet wide and 2 feet high, while ceremonial fires cannot exceed 5 feet by 5 feet; anyone planning a ceremonial fire within a village or city must notify the Air Division in advance.
Agricultural waste, plant matter and wood scrap may also be burned, but that exemption does not cover buildings, land-clearing waste, dead animals or animal waste, according to the health department. Agricultural fires must be set more than 1,000 feet from an inhabited building, and anyone burning within a city or village must notify the Air Division beforehand.
Certain materials may never be burned under the regulations, the health department said, including garbage and food waste, dead animals, and anything containing rubber, grease, asphalt or other petroleum products, such as tires, cars, auto parts, plastics or plastic-coated wire.
Open burning is also prohibited any time an air pollution warning, alert or emergency is in effect, the health department said. Fires cannot be set in a way that obscures visibility for roadways, railroad tracks or airfields, and no one may burn waste that was generated somewhere other than the property where the fire is set.
The health department encouraged residents to consider alternatives to burning, including starting a backyard compost pile for yard trimmings and food scraps, locating a recycling drop-off point, or checking with their local city or county for yard-waste drop-off sites and curbside leaf collection dates. Household hazardous waste should be taken to a proper disposal site; the health department pointed residents to the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District at (888) 565-7888 for guidance.
The Ohio EPA has the legal authority to enforce the state’s open burning laws, and violations can result in penalties, the health department said. Residents with questions about the rules, or who want to report a suspected open burning violation, can call the Portsmouth City Health Department’s Air Division at (740) 353-5156. The division’s enforcement territory covers Adams, Brown, Highland, Lawrence and Scioto counties.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Portsmouth City Health Department.
