OREGON CITY -- An apartment fire that displaced seven families today was caused by disposal of a cigarette in a potted plant, an investigation shows.
Steve McAdoo, spokesman for Clackamas County Fire District 1, said investigators determined that someone put out at least one cigarette in a potted plant outside an eight-unit building in the Pioneer Ridge Apartments complex, 13826 S. Meyers Road. The cigarette apparently smoldered in the potting soil until it burst into flames.
The fire was reported at 3:21 a.m., when a next-door neighbor's Chihuahua, Jack, began barking at the sight of flames. The neighbor then tried to put out the fire with a garden hose while awakening residents.
When firefighters arrived, seven families already had evacuated the building. The eighth unit was vacant.
The Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing temporary housing for the displaced families.
McAdoo said six of the families may be allowed to move back in sometime Wednesday. But damage to one upstairs apartment may keep the residents from returning quickly.
McAdoo said investigators are blaming several recent fires in Oregon and Southwest Washington on the same improper disposal of cigarettes. He said that putting out a lit cigarette in a potted plant does not guarantee that it will not burn. Most potting soil has a fiber-like material in it that acts like a sponge, to help soak up and hold water. But, if you let it dry out it turns into a very dangerous fire starter.
"Please dispose of cigarettes into an ashtray -- or better yet, an ashtray with water in it," McAdoo said. "Your life and your neighbors life depends on it."
Aug 23, 2009
Aug 17, 2009
Analysis Finds Toxic Substances in Electronic Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes contain traces of toxic substances and carcinogens, according to a preliminary analysis of the products by the Food and Drug Administration.
The findings, which were announced on Wednesday, contradict claims by electronic cigarette manufacturers that their products are safe alternatives to tobacco and contain little more than water vapor, nicotine and propylene glycol, which is used to create artificial smoke in theatrical productions. When heated, the liquid produces a vapor that users inhale through the battery-powered device.
“We’re concerned about them because of what we know is in them and what we don’t know about how they affect the human body,” said Joshua Sharfstein, the F.D.A.’s principal commissioner.
The agency analyzed 19 varieties of cartridges, which hold the liquid, and two cigarettes, one manufactured by NJoy and another by Smoking Everywhere.
The analysis found that several of the cartridges contained detectable levels of nitrosamines, tobacco-specific compounds known to cause cancer. One Smoking Everywhere cartridge was found to contain diethlyene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze that counterfeiters have substituted for glycerin in toothpaste, killing hundreds worldwide.
Dr. Sharfstein said the agency was “not sure” what type of effect the diethlyene glycol and other carcinogens have on the human body when inhaled through electronic cigarettes.
The Electronic Cigarette Association, an industry trade group, said in a statement that the F.D.A.’s testing was too “narrow to reach any valid and reliable conclusions” and that its members sell and market their products only to adults.
A statement from the chief executive officer of NJoy, Jack Ledbetter, said a third party had tested its products and found them to be “appropriate alternatives” for cigarettes, but he did not release the findings. The company said its experts would review its tests and the F.D.A.’s.
Electronic cigarettes, which are manufactured in China, are subject to little quality control, Dr. Sharfstein said. The study found the levels of nicotine to vary even in cartridges whose labels claim to have the same amount of nicotine. Some of the cartridges that claimed not to contain nicotine actually did, the analysis found.
The F.D.A. has called electronic cigarettes drug delivery devices and said they should not be allowed in the country. It has turned away about 50 shipments of the devices at the border, but they still continue to be sold in malls nationwide and online. The agency would not comment on whether it planned to ban or seize the devices. In April, Smoking Everywhere sued the F.D.A., claiming that it did not have jurisdiction to bar the electronic devices from entering the United States.
The agency and public health officials are especially worried that electronic cigarettes, which are offered in flavors including cherry and bubblegum, are enticing to children and may be easy for those under 18 to obtain online or in malls.
The findings, which were announced on Wednesday, contradict claims by electronic cigarette manufacturers that their products are safe alternatives to tobacco and contain little more than water vapor, nicotine and propylene glycol, which is used to create artificial smoke in theatrical productions. When heated, the liquid produces a vapor that users inhale through the battery-powered device.
“We’re concerned about them because of what we know is in them and what we don’t know about how they affect the human body,” said Joshua Sharfstein, the F.D.A.’s principal commissioner.
The agency analyzed 19 varieties of cartridges, which hold the liquid, and two cigarettes, one manufactured by NJoy and another by Smoking Everywhere.
The analysis found that several of the cartridges contained detectable levels of nitrosamines, tobacco-specific compounds known to cause cancer. One Smoking Everywhere cartridge was found to contain diethlyene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze that counterfeiters have substituted for glycerin in toothpaste, killing hundreds worldwide.
Dr. Sharfstein said the agency was “not sure” what type of effect the diethlyene glycol and other carcinogens have on the human body when inhaled through electronic cigarettes.
The Electronic Cigarette Association, an industry trade group, said in a statement that the F.D.A.’s testing was too “narrow to reach any valid and reliable conclusions” and that its members sell and market their products only to adults.
A statement from the chief executive officer of NJoy, Jack Ledbetter, said a third party had tested its products and found them to be “appropriate alternatives” for cigarettes, but he did not release the findings. The company said its experts would review its tests and the F.D.A.’s.
Electronic cigarettes, which are manufactured in China, are subject to little quality control, Dr. Sharfstein said. The study found the levels of nicotine to vary even in cartridges whose labels claim to have the same amount of nicotine. Some of the cartridges that claimed not to contain nicotine actually did, the analysis found.
The F.D.A. has called electronic cigarettes drug delivery devices and said they should not be allowed in the country. It has turned away about 50 shipments of the devices at the border, but they still continue to be sold in malls nationwide and online. The agency would not comment on whether it planned to ban or seize the devices. In April, Smoking Everywhere sued the F.D.A., claiming that it did not have jurisdiction to bar the electronic devices from entering the United States.
The agency and public health officials are especially worried that electronic cigarettes, which are offered in flavors including cherry and bubblegum, are enticing to children and may be easy for those under 18 to obtain online or in malls.
Aug 11, 2009
Fake cigarettes warning
THE dangers of smoking 'dodgy' cigarettes will be highlighted at a roadshow.
North Staffordshire PCT will be staging the event at the Midsummer Mayhem fun day at Lyme Valley Park, Newcastle, on Sunday.
As well as providing advice for those wishing to stop smoking, health experts will also show smokers the variety of unusual substances they may be inhaling if they buy dodgy cigarettes.
The event is the latest part of a hard-hitting poster and radio advertising campaign from the Department of Health and HM Revenue & Customs.
Paul Hooper, regional tobacco policy manager for the West Midlands, said: "Buying cheap cigarettes from a man down the pub or from someone returning from their holidays may seem like a great deal.
"However, they are often made in unhygienic conditions and can contain ingredients like insects."
North Staffordshire PCT will be staging the event at the Midsummer Mayhem fun day at Lyme Valley Park, Newcastle, on Sunday.
As well as providing advice for those wishing to stop smoking, health experts will also show smokers the variety of unusual substances they may be inhaling if they buy dodgy cigarettes.
The event is the latest part of a hard-hitting poster and radio advertising campaign from the Department of Health and HM Revenue & Customs.
Paul Hooper, regional tobacco policy manager for the West Midlands, said: "Buying cheap cigarettes from a man down the pub or from someone returning from their holidays may seem like a great deal.
"However, they are often made in unhygienic conditions and can contain ingredients like insects."
Aug 6, 2009
‘Lingering smoke’ after a cigarette is out may harm you
If lung cancer, bad breath, yellowed teeth and fingers, breathlessness, the ever-increasing price of cigarettes, and the harmful effects of second-hand smoke on friends and family, and more specifically children, aren’t motivation enough to quit smoking, then perhaps a new phenomenon coined “third-hand” smoke will do the trick.
Third-hand smoke is the tobacco smoke contamination that lingers even after your cigarette has been extinguished; whether trapped in your hair, in the couch cushions or in your T-shirt, the toxic particulate matter of which cigarettes are composed sticks around long after you’ve finished that drag. Thus, when children come in contact with a smoker, they also come in contact with approximately 250 poisonous gases, chemicals and metals, eleven classified as group one carcinogens, which cling to their person and home.
Third-hand smoke is particularly relevant to mothers who are in frequent contact with their children. Think about how often your child wraps his arms around your neck and buries his head in your shoulder when he’s sad or sleepy, inhaling all the bad stuff in cigarettes that gets trapped in your sweater. Or if you’re a breastfeeding mom and smoker, the toxins are transferred to your child via breast milk. Children are especially susceptible to third-hand smoke because they often crawl and play on carpeted flooring and touch and put their mouths on contaminated surfaces. Low levels of tobacco particulate have been linked with cognitive deficits among children; the greater the exposure, the lower the reading score.
It was only a matter of time before researchers found yet another weapon to combat the battle against smoking. It’s getting more and more difficult to see the attraction of it. If quitting for your own health isn’t enough to make you kick the habit, do it for your loved ones.
If the health of your loved ones isn’t enough to quit, than perhaps a lovely trip south for a family of four could entice? At the cost of cigarettes today, and at the disastrous rate of one pack per week, enough money could be saved from quitting smoking to send a family of four to a vacation destination down south at an all-inclusive four-star hotel. Of course, it’s easier said than done, but the way this summer’s weather has been, I would seriously consider the trip.
Third-hand smoke is the tobacco smoke contamination that lingers even after your cigarette has been extinguished; whether trapped in your hair, in the couch cushions or in your T-shirt, the toxic particulate matter of which cigarettes are composed sticks around long after you’ve finished that drag. Thus, when children come in contact with a smoker, they also come in contact with approximately 250 poisonous gases, chemicals and metals, eleven classified as group one carcinogens, which cling to their person and home.
Third-hand smoke is particularly relevant to mothers who are in frequent contact with their children. Think about how often your child wraps his arms around your neck and buries his head in your shoulder when he’s sad or sleepy, inhaling all the bad stuff in cigarettes that gets trapped in your sweater. Or if you’re a breastfeeding mom and smoker, the toxins are transferred to your child via breast milk. Children are especially susceptible to third-hand smoke because they often crawl and play on carpeted flooring and touch and put their mouths on contaminated surfaces. Low levels of tobacco particulate have been linked with cognitive deficits among children; the greater the exposure, the lower the reading score.
It was only a matter of time before researchers found yet another weapon to combat the battle against smoking. It’s getting more and more difficult to see the attraction of it. If quitting for your own health isn’t enough to make you kick the habit, do it for your loved ones.
If the health of your loved ones isn’t enough to quit, than perhaps a lovely trip south for a family of four could entice? At the cost of cigarettes today, and at the disastrous rate of one pack per week, enough money could be saved from quitting smoking to send a family of four to a vacation destination down south at an all-inclusive four-star hotel. Of course, it’s easier said than done, but the way this summer’s weather has been, I would seriously consider the trip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
