Friday August 10, 2012

To add to tenant safety at North Adams Housing Authority properties, how about addressing careless smoking that has caused many buildings to burn down and fatal incidents. Join St. Joe and Village East as smoke free, North Adams Housing Authority. Jennifer Breen Esq., City Council liaison for North Adams Housing Authority, maybe you could bring this up: tenant safety and smoking policy at the two places, Ashland and Spring Street and around the buildings.

Second hand smoke is unhealthy and people with oxygen and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease smelling the smoke is not smart. I think even "Smoky the Bear" would agree that careless disposal of "cancer sticks" causes fires.

A list follows of the chemicals in "cancer sticks." Imagine carbon monoxide all over the apartments for everyone to breathe.

1. Benzene (a petrol additive): Obtained from coal and petroleum used as a solvent for fuel in manufacturing chemicals. Also known as a carcinogen, leukemia is associated with this.

2. Formaldehyde (embalming fluid): This is what is used to preserve dead bodies. Found in cigarette smoke, it causes cancer, respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin issues.

3. Toilet cleaner (ammonia): Used as a flavoring. Gets nicotine free from tobacco by turning it into a gas. Found in dry cleaning fluids.

4. Acetone (nail polish re mover): A solvent. For example, take nail polish off with this chemical found in "butts."

5. Tar:

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Goes in lungs when you inhale a lit cigarette. Once inhaled, 70 percent of tar is deposited in the lungs.

6. Nicotine: An insecticide/ addictive drug. One of the most addictive substances known. This chemical is what causes the addiction.

7. Carbon monoxide: Odor less and tasteless; a gas that is poisonous in the buildings. Is that safety? Large amounts can be fatal. It’s the same as car exhaust gas and the main gas in smoke when the cancer stick is lit.

8. Some others are arsenic (rat poison) and hydrogen cyanide (gas chamber poison).

If this isn’t enough to see that safety is needed in other areas also, call the American Lung Association. They agree with all this. All these chemicals live in one cigarette.

Security may be coming to apartments, but carbon monoxide and chemicals exist in 150 Ashland St. and 45 Spring St. with having people smoke cigarettes.

Donna Dickinson

North Adams

Aug. 8