Nearly three-quarters of an estimated 12 million Americans who heat their homes with wood stoves each winter, do not use EPA certified stoves. EPA’s Burn Wise campaign encourages homeowners to use EPA-certified wood stoves or to follow EPA’s recommendations to reduce wood smoke pollution emitted from older, uncertified models by burning only dry, seasoned wood, maintaining your wood stove or fireplace with a certified yearly inspection, and changing to an EPA-certified wood stove or fireplace insert. Wood smoke is mixture of gases and fine particle pollution unhealthy to breathe indoors or out, especially for children, older adults and those with heart disease, asthma or lung diseases. More information is available on the Burn Wise site; click on the link below: