Carelessly discarded cigarette to blame for apartment fire

A fire in a Penn Street fourplex that injured four people, displaced 19 and caused about $550,000 damage was caused by careless smoking, a Fire Department spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The blaze was reported just after 2 a.m. Monday at 277 Penn St., a two-story fourplex.
“The cause of the fire  ... (was) determined to be careless discarded smoking material onto an older couch positioned on an exterior balcony,” said Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department. “How long it had be smoldering to cause the fire remains undetermined.”
Four people suffered minor injuries jumping from a second-floor unit of the building and were taken to a hospital for treatment, Derderian said.
“They could not exit (via) the stairwell due to heavy smoke and flames,” Derderian said.
Residents said they had to throw their children out of the window first to open-armed neighbors below to catch them.
Firefighters from Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale and South Pasadena assisted on the scene, where crews spent about fire hours, according to the incident report.
Nineteen residents — including two infants — were displaced and receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, Derderian said.
Damage was estimated at $400,000 to the structure and $150,000 to the contents, she said.

Geneva II: does 'smoking gun' threaten Syria peace talks?

The peace conference set to begin on Wednesday will include the first talks between President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents.

But hopes of a breakthrough are negligible at a time when fighting has escalated and neither side shows any sign of retreating from its demands or being able to end the war with a victory.
One western diplomat said: "At best, Geneva II will reconfirm agreements made during the first Geneva conference, call for ceasefires, maybe prisoners swap and so on.
"At the same time, those taking part in the talks are de facto giving legitimisation to Damascus. They are talking to Assad's government on the other side of the table. And so the show would go on while Assad stays in power."

Humanitarian consequences

Around a third of Syria's 22 million people have been driven from their homes, many to refugee camps abroad. Half are in desperate need of international aid.

The country at the heart of the Middle East has been carved up on ethnic and sectarian lines, with neighbours and distant powers lining up to arm and fund rival factions.
The bleak humanitarian consequences of the war were illustrated starkly in photographs of the emaciated and abused bodies of detainees, released in a report by London law firm Carter Ruck, hired by Qatar - made available to the Guardian and CNN.
Top prosecutors and forensic experts said that the photos smuggled out of Syria were "clear evidence" of mass killing and torture.
Tens of thousands of photos, taken by a photographer who has now defected, appear to show emaciated, bloodstained corpses bearing signs of torture.
Some had no eyes, while others showed signs of strangulation or electrocution.
The military police photographer's job was to record the deaths of those in custody from March 2011 until August 2013.

Thirdhand Smoke Leads To Organ Damage, Hyperactivity In Mice

Thirdhand smoke, the secondhand smoke that sticks to surfaces, causes health problems in mice, a new study reveals.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found that thirdhand smoke leads to damage to organs in mice, as well as increased wound healing time.
"There is still much to learn about the specific mechanisms by which cigarette smoke residues harm nonsmokers, but that there is such an effect is now clear," study researcher Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology at the university, said in a statement. "Children in environments where smoking is, or has been allowed, are at significant risk for suffering from multiple short-term and longer health problems, many of which may not manifest fully until later in life."
The new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, involved exposing mice to thirdhand smoke in a lab setting. The researchers found that the thirdhand smoke spurred increased lipid levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the mice, as well as increased inflammation in their lungs. The mice also had poor healing of wounds -- similar, researchers noted, to that observed in smokers post-surgery.
The mice exhibited signs of hyperactivity, as well. This specific finding, "combined with emerging associated behavioral problems in children exposed to second- and third-hand smoke suggests that with prolonged exposure, they may be at significant risk for developing more severe neurological disorders," Martins-Green said in the statement.
Last year, a lab-based study published in the journal Mutagenesis showed that thirdhand smoke leads to oxidative DNA damage. Plus, the harm that the thirdhand smoke can do only gets worse as time goes on.
"Tobacco-specific nitrosamines, some of the chemical compounds in thirdhand smoke, are among the most potent carcinogens there are," the researcher of that study, Lara Gundel, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said in a statement. "They stay on surfaces, and when those surfaces are clothing or carpets, the danger to children is especially serious."

Business offers safe alternative to smoking

With locations in Branson and Branson West, Puff Smart is offering what they call a “safer, cleaner and cheaper choice to cigarettes” and much more.
The family owned and operated business specializes in electronic cigarettes, or “puffys” as they call them, and a wide variety juices for the devices. They also offer a complete flavor station so people can try a flavor before buying.
Electronic cigarettes, or puffys, are considered an alternative method of consuming nicotine, the addictive chemical found in cigarettes. Puff Smart also offers a large selection of flavored juices without nicotine. With puffys, there are no ashes, fire or smoke smell, according to Puff Smart General Manager Kim Oliver.
“It is not smoking, it is vaping,” Oliver said.
Manufacturers call electronic cigarettes, or puffys, a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes, and customers have claimed using the devices have helped reduce smoker’s cough, sharpened the senses of taste and smell and even improved their sleep, Oliver reported.
Owner Ginney Johnson said she has a very friendly, knowledgeable staff to help anyone who is looking to cut back on nicotine, quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, take vitamins easier or even improve their singing voice.
“It is cleaner, safer and there is no secondhand smoke,” Johnson said. “It is the same as a vaporizer.”
Oliver said the best part about her job is getting to help people get healthy, whether they smoke cigarettes or not. Pall Mall Blue Slims
“We do have a lot of people who don’t smoke who do vape (use puffys),” Oliver said. “I do have a lot of people who do it for weight loss.”
Oliver said vaping has helped her lose weight.
“I feel better, I sleep better, I breathe better and I think things taste different,” she said.
Johnson said they even have customers who use puffys to consume vitamins and singers who recognize that vaping improves their voices.
Both Puff Smart locations offer large flavor bars, where people are invited to take their time and try flavors before they buy.
“We want to make sure it is satisfying to them, or they get discouraged,” Oliver said.
Puff Smart also offers a wide variety of puffys, to fit just about anyone’s style.
For about $25, people can walk out with a complete puffy and juice.

T.J. Samson enforces thirdhand smoke policy

T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow has a thirdhand smoke policy for all employees, including those who are under contract.
“Thirdhand smoke is smoke that is on a person’s body, on their clothing, on their hair,” said Laura Belcher, chief of planning and business development for the hospital. “Just like excessive perfumes and colognes may be difficult for people with breathing conditions to be around, now we’ve added tobacco as well.”

 

To help make the transition easier for employees, T.J. Samson has offered smoking cessations classes to help them get the resources they need. About 35 people have gone though the program, Belcher said“We gave them six to eight weeks (to let them know) that this was going into effect Jan. 1. We don’t want to infringe on anyone’s rights, but this is just important to us,” she said. “We heard a few grumblings, but people are adhering to the policy.”
While employees are not expected to wash or change clothes before entering the hospital, the employees are responsible for maintaining good body odor, Belcher said.
“They have to maintain a dress code, and that includes smoke residue. If they cannot do that during their work time or break time, their option is to keep from smoking,” she said. “If you (or a patient) smell it on that person, you’re supposed to address them.”
Action will be taken against those who fail to adhere to the policy, starting with a verbal warning and continuing through the chain of discipline, Belcher said. Employees could be fired if they do not comply.
“By no means do we want that to happen, but we want to provide a safe environment for our patients and our employees,” she said.
The policy does not apply to visitors. “There’s no way for us to enforce that,” Belcher said.
Several years ago, T.J Samson became a tobacco-free campus, not allowing people to smoke around the building. People did, however, leave the campus and used tobacco products during breaks and lunches, Belcher said. Golden Gate Blue
“As a health care provider, we see firsthand how third-hand exposure affects individuals. Exposure to those residues has a negative impact on a person’s health. It can be very irritating,” she said. “This doesn’t only affect patients, but also coworkers. When you bring coats back in the building and store them together, it can be overwhelming.”
Thirdhand smoke is dangerous, said Carol Douglas, health educator at the Barren River District Health Department. She has been reading the University of Kentucky College of Nursing’s Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy at www.kcsp.uky.edu, which has information about thirdhand smoke.
“It has cancer-causing agents and can cause respiratory issues just like smoking and secondhand smoke,” she said.”
It’s not limited to just the body, Douglas said.
“It’s any of the particles that would be on surfaces long after the smoke is gone. It can react with other chemicals to create pollution,” she said.
This means that cleaning or painting places such as rental property, hotel and motel rooms or vehicles where smoking has occurred does not get rid of the danger of thirdhand smoke, Douglas said.
“Cleaning can stir it up. Once smoking has occurred in those areas, it’s going to persist. No one is going to be able to get it out of everything, especially porous surfaces like carpeting and upholstery,” she said. “It’s basically impossible to get out all of the stuff once that occurs, but some say it can be gotten out of hard surfaces by using acidic solutions like vinegar.”