The Intendant of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Adriana Delpiano, criticized the use of wood-burning stoves in the Chilean capital, which on Saturday, May 12, recorded its worst level of air pollution since 1999. Paola Vasconi, of the Terram Foundation, told Tierramérica that in 2006 the government's Regional Environment Commission for Santiago tried to ban the use of fireplaces and wood stoves, but the National Commission blocked it, ceding to pressure from distributors. A stricter regulation is now being drawn up.

Vasconi says such fires are on the rise and there are no laboratories that certify compliance with emissions standards (4.5 grams of smoke per hour) and that the firewood used is not certified.