ROCHESTER - Troy Pearson didn't know what else to do with the leaves that blanketed his yard. So, like many of his neighbors, he decided to burn them.

Rochester is one of only a handful of Racine County communities that offer residents no other option but to burn their leaves.

After a wet October, Pearson finally had a chance to start burning on Tuesday. The pile in the middle of his backyard smoldered, until he turned his leaf blower to it, stoking the flames.

Starting in late October, a haze of smoke settles over Rochester. As soon as leaves start to fall, residents start burning them in their yards and along neighborhood streets.

It's not an ideal situation, according to Pearson, who moved into the house a year ago.

"I've got to change my clothes when I go into the house. I don't like that smell," Pearson said. "If the whole neighborhood's smoky, we just stay in the house." Pearson said.

Every fall, the American Lung Association in Wisconsin gets calls from people who can't figure out why leaf burning is still allowed in their communities. If the organization had its way, communities would ban the practice.

Burning leaves create a lot of particle pollution - microscopic ash and soot - that can get past the body's natural defense system and settle deep in the lungs, which can cause a variety of respiratory problems, according to Dona Wininsky, director of public policy and communications for the organization.

"Burning (leaves) can cause asthma attacks and other kinds of respiratory symptoms. It's just not healthy," Wininsky said.

The smoke can be a nightmare for people who already suffer from respiratory illnesses like asthma, lung cancer or chronic pulmonary obstructive diseases, like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, according to Wininsky.

The organization supports local ordinances that prohibit outdoor burning, Wininsky said.

"I know people feel that it's inconvenient to bag them up and take them somewhere else, but it's really no more inconvenient than what you're doing to your neighbor by driving them out of their homes," Wininsky said.

In the early 1990s, the state banned yard waste, including leaves, from landfills, according to Nancy Gloe, a waste management specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Since then, communities have had to find options for residents.

The DNR promotes alternatives to leaf burning, Gloe said. While some communities are moving away from burning, some offer more options for residents than others, she said.

"At this point, that decision is being left to local municipalities," Gloe said. "It seems to me that mulching is as easy. You're taking a soil conditioner and burning it."

Only three Racine County communities ban leaf burning completely - the cities of Racine and Burlington and the Village of Elmwood Park. While nearly 90 percent of communities allow burning, they generally offer one or more alternatives.

In Rochester, many residents burn leaves because they have no other choice, said Chris Birkett, the village's public works director.

Officials started considering options this year, including offering limited pick-up for residents who would be interested in paying for the service.

While he doesn't foresee banning burning completely any time soon, Birkett hopes the village can offer another option for residents in the near future.

"I have serious concerns about the air quality," Birkett said. "With the increase in asthma and other respiratory diseases, it's just terrible."