January 5. 2011
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Fire Dangers from Clothes Dryer
Key is preventing
build-up of lint
A clothes dryer clogged with lint can cause a fire and
put your home at risk.
Fire department officials recommend that everyone
egularly clean their dryers. According to the U.S. Con­
sumer Product Safety Commission, there are an esti­
mated 15,500 fires started by clothes dryers each year.
Many of these fires might have been prevented with
proper maintenance and venting.
"Dryer fires are very common and, frequently, pre­
ventable, says Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Com­
munications Officer Brian Barker, "Everyone should
check for lint buildup in your clothes dryer."
Most clothes dryer fires can be prevented by follow­
ing these safety tips:
. -Never run your clothes dryer while away from your
home or asleep.
-Remove lint from the traps, vents and surrounding
areas of the dryer after each load of laundry.
-Avoid drying items made of plastic, foam or other
synthetic materials.
-It your clothes are suddenly taking a long time to dry
or clothes feel hotter than usual at the end of a cycle,
your dryer may be telling you there’s a problem. Look
for a blockage in your dryer system.
T
. Ua atin Valley and Fire Rescue provided this picture o f a clothes dryer charred from a fire that started because o f
improper maintenance and venting caused by the build-up o f lint.
Another Reason to Quit Smoking: Few Extra Pounds
Studies show your pet
will thank you, too
It’s well known that smoking is hazardous
to people’s health, and the New Year is an
excellent time to kick the habit. But if
you’re someone who smokes who
also is a pet owner, there’s an addi­
tional incentive to make that New
Year’s resolution: your habit may
be killing your beloved dog or cat.
Recent medical research shows
that cats and dogs living with
people who smoke risk develop­
ing cancer, allergies and other ill
nesses from secondhand smoke.
Unlike humans, animals do more
than just inhale. Tobacco residue col­
lects on animal fur, and cats and dogs
swallow the residue when they groom them
selves. Some pets even like to lick or eat
cigarette butts in ashtrays. A curious puppy can die of
nicotine poisoning from swallowing just two cigarette butts.
Sm okers’ cats are at least twice as likely to develop a deadly
form of cancer called feline lymphoma, as are cats in smoke-free
homes. After five years living with a smoker, that rate increases
to three times as likely. When you factor in other variables - the
number of smokers in the house, how many packs smoked per day
- that risk can rise nearly fourfold.
This data, taken from a University of Massachusetts study,
raises the question of a possible link between passive smoking
and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans, which is similar to
lymphoma in cats.
Another study by Tufts University School of Veterinary
Medicine showed that cats exposed to secondhand
smoke have an increased chance of developing
squamous cell carcinoma, a type of oral cancer
commonly found in smokers. The increased
risk may be due to carcinogens in smoke
which settle on cats’ fur and which cats
ingest as they groom themselves.
Similarly dangerous to dogs, sec­
ondhand smoke raises the rates of
certain cancers in canines. A Colo-
rado State University study found
dogs living with smokers had higher
rates of lung and nasal cancer. Dogs
with long noses are at an even greater
risk of developing nasal and sinus
cancer, as they expose more tissue to
the carcinogens when they inhale. Short
or medium-nosed dogs showed higher rates
of lung cancer.
The research also showed measurable levels of
carcinogenic chemicals from cigarette smoke in dogs’ fur
and urine for months after exposure.
Even if they do not develop cancer, all pets can have strong
reactions to smoke particles in the air. Just like their human
families, pets can develop respiratory infections, eye irritation,
lung inflammation and asthma when exposed to secondhand
smoke.
T he message is clear, said Renée Klein of the American Lung
Association, Secondhand smoke is hazardous to you and your
pets. We hope this information will motivate pet owners who
smoke to quit.”
Also Carry Risks
(AP) - Lugging around a few extra pounds
One of the largest studies to look at health an
weight finds that you don't have to be obese t
raise your risk of premature death. Merely bein
overweight carries some risk, too.
Obesity increases the risk of death from heai
disease, stroke and certain cancers. But whethe
being merely overweight contributes to an earl;
death as well has been uncertain and controver
sial. Some research has suggested being a littli
pudgy has little effect or can even be a goo<
thing.
The latest research involving about 1.5 mil
lion people concluded that healthy adults wh<
were overweight were 13 percent more likely t(
die during the time they were followed in tht
study than those whose weight is in an idea
range.
"Having a little extra meat on your bones —
if that meat happens to be fat — is harmful, not
beneficial, said Dr. Michael Thun of the Ameri­
can Cancer Society, senior author of the study.
The study's conclusions, recent published in
the New England Journal of Medicine, are simi­
lar to three other large studies, said the lead
author, Amy Berrington of the National Cancer
Institute.
Now there's really a very large body of
evidence which supports the finding that being
overweight is associated with a small increased
risk of death," Berrington said.