On Thursday, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved changes to its wood smoke ordinance while acknowledging racial health disparities from air pollution. The original policy had imposed a seasonal ban from October 1 through March 1 on burning wood in fireplaces, stoves or fire pits on days with poor air quality. That ban will now be extended year-round for days with poor air quality, eliminate so-called “green” days when no limits applied to burning wood and remove an exemption permitting the use of EPA-certified wood stoves. Last week, the commissioners adopted tougher emission standards for cancer-causing particulate matter in wood smoke and prioritized "reducing the cumulative burden of air pollution." Joining us is Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson and Jessica Guernsey, the Multnomah County public health director.