Latest Endangered Los Angeles Species: The Wood-Burning Fireplace

The South Coast Air Quality Management District -- trying to combat what remains the most polluted air in the country -- is mulling a ban on wood-burning fireplaces in new homes in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as part of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The paper writes:

In addition, on winter days when pollution spikes, wood-fueled blazes in all fireplaces would be banned in highly affected areas. That could amount to about 20 days a year, district officials said.

Another measure that would require closing off wood fireplaces or installing $3,600 pollution control devices before a home could be sold had been dropped as of late Thursday, an AQMD spokesman said.

Regulators say that with an estimated 5,400 premature deaths attributable to soot each year in the region, no source is too small to target. Numerous studies have shown that the fine particulate matter in soot sinks deep into the lungs, causing serious health problems. But critics, including homebuilders and real estate agents, say the regulations could hurt sales by robbing homes of one of their most enjoyable features.

Here's one solution: Grab a copy of the Yule Log -- a continuous shot of a burning fireplace, first popularized in the 1960s on New York's WPIX, and now seen locally every Christmas on KCAL -- and loop it on your TV. Instant, pollution-free fire!