Tag Archives: smoke

General Safety Issues

A CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY – HOME FIRE

Christmas is a time of wonder, but it can be costly if safety is ignored.  A recent tragedy in Connecticut reminds us of the many things we must be cautious about when using a fireplace.  Two fatal mistakes may have cost the lives of the three little girls and their grandparents who died Christmas morning when a century-old Victorian mansion went up in flames and turned into a death trap.  This report is from the New York Post.

Fire marshals in Stamford, Conn., said the homeowner’s boyfriend, contractor Michael Borcino, put still-smoldering embers from a yule log into some kind of a bag — and then left it leaning against an outside rear wall of the $1.7 million house.  Marshals said the embers had not been doused with water.  On the other side of the wall was a mud room.  When the wall caught fire between 3 and 3:30 a.m., the five people sleeping on the second and third floors had no warning — because there were no functioning smoke detectors.

City official Ernie Orgera said a modern “hardwired” smoke detection system was being installed as part of ongoing renovations. But it hadn’t gone online in the five-bedroom home, which was built in 1895. And there was no evidence that battery-operated detectors had been in use.  The home’s owner, Madonna Badger, and her boyfriend, Michael Borcino, were the only survivors of the fire, despite making every effort to save her children and parents.

Another cause of home fires during this season are Christmas tree fires.  Many persons enjoy keeping their decorations up until after New Year’s Day.  The National Fire Prevention Association recommends getting rid of the tree when it is dry.  They should not be kept in the home, garage, or around the house once they become dry.

The NFPA also suggests the following ideas to reduce the risk of holiday light fires and keep equipment in good condition for next year:

  • To unplug electric decorations, use the gripping area provided on the plugs. Never pull the cord to unplug a device from electrical outlets. Doing so can harm the cord’s wire and insulation and even lead to an electrical shock or fire.
  • As you’re putting away electrical light strings, inspect each for damage. Throw out light sets if they have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.
  • Do not place a damaged set of lights back into the storage box for next year’s use.
  • Wrap each set of lights and put them in individual plastic bags, or wrap the lights around a piece of cardboard.
  • Store electrical decorations in a dry place where they cannot be damaged by water or dampness. Also, keep them away from children and pets.

Please check your smoke detectors and replace the batteries if necessary!  It’s going to be a long winter.  Take all the safety precautions regarding fireplaces seriously.  Dispose of ashes properly, and wet them down, away from the house.  Do not leave a fire burning in the fireplace when you go to bed.  Practice fireplace and candle safety and other ways to prevent fires.  It only takes one spark to cause devestation.

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

TAKE PART IN THE “GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT”

Smokers will think “Bah, humbug” when they hear about the Great American Smokeout planned for Thursday, November 19.  This is a day sponsored by the American Cancer Society back in 1977, and since that time, has encouraged tobacco smokers and chewers to quit for the day, and hopefully, forever.  The Smokeout draws attention to deaths and health damage caused by smoking.  It has also contributed to bans on smoking in workplaces and restaurants, increased taxes on cigarettes, limitations on cigarette promotions in the media, attempts to discourage teen smoking, and other countless actions to reduce tobacco use.

There are approximately 46 million Americans that continue to smoke.  According to the CDC, 440,000 deaths and $193 billion in health care costs and lost production occur annually.

Here are some facts from the U.S. Surgeon General and American Cancer Society that point out the benefits of quitting:

  • Your heart rate and blood pressure drop 20 minutes after quitting.
  • Your circulation improves and your lung function increases within 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting.
  • The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal 12 hours after quitting.
  • One to nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath decrease; normal function in the lungs is regained, which reduces the risk of infection.
  • One year after quitting, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
  • Five years after quitting, the stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
  • Ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s.  The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
  • Fifteen years after quitting, risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.

It is a very hard habit to break, but consider the health benefits as listed above, not to mention creating a safer environment for those non-smokers who have to breathe secondhand smoke!

Workplaces that make the choice to become smoke-free would see increased productivity, fewer sick days and lower insurance claims by employees.  Employers could reward their workers that stop smoking by paying a membership fee to a health club, treat non-smokers to an occasional free breakfast or lunch, or come up with other ideas.

People have the right to choose what to do with their body; however, when facts prove that smoking damages almost every organ in the human body and is linked to at least fifteen different cancers, that should be reason enough for tobacco users to stop and think about it.  Besides that, look at all the money that could be saved!  So, Thursday, come on, we dare you!  You can do it for at least one day…then another….and another!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

HOW SECONDHAND SMOKE AFFECTS US

It is an individual’s choice whether to smoke or not.  However, exposing non-smokers and children to environmental tobacco smoke, (ETS), is a different concern.  ETS are particles emitted from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar and smoke exhaled by a smoker.  Did you know that secondhand smoke has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency?  This rating is used only for substances proven to cause cancer in humans.

Non-smokers: The following statistics (in the U.S. alone), from the American Cancer Society, are caused by second-hand smoke:

  • About 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults occur annually.
  • Each year an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers.
  • Secondhand smoke causes breathing problems in non-smokers, such as coughing, chest discomfort and reduced lung function.
  • In children under 18 months, there are approximately 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (pneumonia and bronchitis), resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospital stays annually.
  • Asthma attacks in children with asthma range from 200,000 to 1 million each year.

If your workplace doesn’t have a policy that protects non-smokers from exposure to ETS, try to get it to start one.  Either ban smoking indoors or designate a separately ventilated room that nonsmokers do not have to enter while performing their job responsibilities.

If you are a smoker, think about the effect this has on your body, as well as your family or friends.  Small children are unable to breathe fresh air while they are around smoke.  They are trapped while riding in a closed car with someone smoking.  Advice from many smokers is “if you haven’t started smoking – don’t!  It’s expensive and a hard habit to break.”  Think about it.  Everyone has the right to choose to smoke or not, just as in any other habit, but most of the time when they start smoking, they aren’t thinking about how it will play out in their health or the health of others later on.