Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Atomic Cowboy's hypocritical urban bonfires

The bar Atomic Cowboy has teamed up with Smoke Free St. Louis City to help force a smoking ban on reluctant St. Louis businesses.
http://smokefreestl.org/supporting-businesses.html

What a deeply uncool thing to do! If I were more of a bastard, I would look into the possible violation of outdoor burning codes by Atomic Cowboy's famous bonfires. But I won't go there, because I am not out to ruin anyone's fun.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10733524@N03/1233530827/


But how can Smoke Free St. Louis City celebrate a business that puts huge amounts of woodsmoke into St. Louis air? Woodsmoke is far more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke and, from what I have read so far, accounts for a surprising amount of urban air particulate pollution. No one is forced to go into a smoky bar. But all St. Louisans have to breathe the air made smoky by Atomic Cowboy. Careful Atomic Cowboy, efforts are underway to ban the fires you happen to like.
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=7917602
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/92046.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/woodstoves/pdfs/woodsmoke_health_effects_jan07.pdf