‘No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke’
Pollution fears are misplaced while toxins thrive indoors
MARISA DUFFY
2/25/08?
Following the smoking ban, advocates of clean air might have believed that the battle was largely won. However, worrying new research highlights the pernicious effects of other life-threatening pollutants. Most worrying is the fact that these are pollutants that occur inside the home.
A Danish study of non-smokers aged between 60 and 75 found that the use of an air filter in the home for only 48 hours improved vascular function in the participants as much as stopping smoking would do in a smoker. When the high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters were used to clean the air in the apartments of 21 older couples, their blood-vessel function improved by about 8%.
The improvement was described as being “in the same ballpark” as that which would be seen after a person quits smoking, according to lead author of the study, Dr Steffen Loft, of the Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen.
In an article published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Loft refers to a wealth of data on how breathing minute particles carried in the air, known as particulate matter, can worsen heart and lung disease and even increase mortality rates.
To better understand how particulate matter in indoor air affects health, Loft and his team carried out a series of tests to assess microvascular function in 21 couples after breathing non-filtered air, and then after breathing filtered air for 48 hours.
Microvascular function looks at how well the tiny blood vessels linking veins and arteries work in response to blood and oxygen demands. Impairment of this function is a sign of coronary heart disease. On average, microvascular function improved by 8.1% for the study’s participants after only two days of breathing filtered air.
“It may be speculated that further improvement may occur after prolonged intervention of six months to one year, and that this could result in further reduction in cardiovascular risk in this healthy, elderly age group,” the research team concludes.
“Air pollution, both indoor and out, is certainly affecting people’s hearts,” added Loft, whose next project is to investigate how particulate matter from wood stoves used to heat homes in Scandinavia and parts of the United States can affect health.
Back in 2005, Dr Stirling Howieson, author of Housing and Asthma, was flagging up the dangers of pollution inside modern homes. He laid the blame for Scotland’s high incidence of asthma firmly at the feet of the construction establishment. “Since the 1975 Opec oil crisis, housebuilders have been hell-bent on turning our homes into sealed boxes,” he told The Herald. “Heat and energy might not escape from them, but neither can the wealth of toxins and dust mites responsible for the escalating numbers of asthma sufferers,” he said.
“The facts are beyond dispute, yet succeeding generations of architects have continued to ignore them despite the consequences of their inaction. The focus of most people’s attentions might be upon pollution outside the home, but the reality is that unless your house is on the busiest street in the city centre, the air inside it is by far the more dirty and dangerous.”
Following an evaluation programme in Lanarkshire of small architectural modifications that could improve air quality, Howieson called for the compulsory introduction of simple ventilation systems in new homes. During his experiment, 80% of asthma sufferers reported improvements in the condition.
According to the Danish study, indoor air pollution typically comes from heating sources, candles, cooking and nearby traffic. For people living close to busy roads, seeping traffic pollution is of particular concern. A 2002 study, funded by the National Asthma Campaign, showed how the proximity to a major road increased the risk of children developing wheezing, a symptom of asthma, by 8% among primary-school age children and 16% for older children.
Last week Asthma UK, the charity which represents the 5.2million UK sufferers, urged all vehicle drivers to take further measures to improve air quality in cities across the UK, following the introduction of the new Low Emission Zone in London.
The charity reports that two thirds of people with asthma say that fumes from traffic aggravate their condition. Asthma UK also cites mounting evidence to suggest that living near a major road is associated with worsening asthma symptoms.
Sally Rose, a specialist nurse with Asthma UK, said: “For many people with asthma, changes in air quality, such as increased pollution levels, can bring with it a whole host of problems. It may be helpful to keep a regular check on air quality levels in the local area, so it is possible to make changes to plans for the following day if pollution levels will be high.”
Those who want to filter the air in their own home can choose to invest in a permanent installation or opt for a portable version. People who live in wet climates are advised to get a system that destroys mould spores and those with children can opt for one that kills bacteria. Allergy suffers will benefit most from a device specifically designed to destroy pet dander, pollen and dust mites. Proponents of ventilation systems say they can be installed for less than ?2000.
MARISA DUFFY
2/25/08?
Following the smoking ban, advocates of clean air might have believed that the battle was largely won. However, worrying new research highlights the pernicious effects of other life-threatening pollutants. Most worrying is the fact that these are pollutants that occur inside the home.
A Danish study of non-smokers aged between 60 and 75 found that the use of an air filter in the home for only 48 hours improved vascular function in the participants as much as stopping smoking would do in a smoker. When the high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters were used to clean the air in the apartments of 21 older couples, their blood-vessel function improved by about 8%.
The improvement was described as being “in the same ballpark” as that which would be seen after a person quits smoking, according to lead author of the study, Dr Steffen Loft, of the Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen.
In an article published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Loft refers to a wealth of data on how breathing minute particles carried in the air, known as particulate matter, can worsen heart and lung disease and even increase mortality rates.
To better understand how particulate matter in indoor air affects health, Loft and his team carried out a series of tests to assess microvascular function in 21 couples after breathing non-filtered air, and then after breathing filtered air for 48 hours.
Microvascular function looks at how well the tiny blood vessels linking veins and arteries work in response to blood and oxygen demands. Impairment of this function is a sign of coronary heart disease. On average, microvascular function improved by 8.1% for the study’s participants after only two days of breathing filtered air.
“It may be speculated that further improvement may occur after prolonged intervention of six months to one year, and that this could result in further reduction in cardiovascular risk in this healthy, elderly age group,” the research team concludes.
“Air pollution, both indoor and out, is certainly affecting people’s hearts,” added Loft, whose next project is to investigate how particulate matter from wood stoves used to heat homes in Scandinavia and parts of the United States can affect health.
Back in 2005, Dr Stirling Howieson, author of Housing and Asthma, was flagging up the dangers of pollution inside modern homes. He laid the blame for Scotland’s high incidence of asthma firmly at the feet of the construction establishment. “Since the 1975 Opec oil crisis, housebuilders have been hell-bent on turning our homes into sealed boxes,” he told The Herald. “Heat and energy might not escape from them, but neither can the wealth of toxins and dust mites responsible for the escalating numbers of asthma sufferers,” he said.
“The facts are beyond dispute, yet succeeding generations of architects have continued to ignore them despite the consequences of their inaction. The focus of most people’s attentions might be upon pollution outside the home, but the reality is that unless your house is on the busiest street in the city centre, the air inside it is by far the more dirty and dangerous.”
Following an evaluation programme in Lanarkshire of small architectural modifications that could improve air quality, Howieson called for the compulsory introduction of simple ventilation systems in new homes. During his experiment, 80% of asthma sufferers reported improvements in the condition.
According to the Danish study, indoor air pollution typically comes from heating sources, candles, cooking and nearby traffic. For people living close to busy roads, seeping traffic pollution is of particular concern. A 2002 study, funded by the National Asthma Campaign, showed how the proximity to a major road increased the risk of children developing wheezing, a symptom of asthma, by 8% among primary-school age children and 16% for older children.
Last week Asthma UK, the charity which represents the 5.2million UK sufferers, urged all vehicle drivers to take further measures to improve air quality in cities across the UK, following the introduction of the new Low Emission Zone in London.
The charity reports that two thirds of people with asthma say that fumes from traffic aggravate their condition. Asthma UK also cites mounting evidence to suggest that living near a major road is associated with worsening asthma symptoms.
Sally Rose, a specialist nurse with Asthma UK, said: “For many people with asthma, changes in air quality, such as increased pollution levels, can bring with it a whole host of problems. It may be helpful to keep a regular check on air quality levels in the local area, so it is possible to make changes to plans for the following day if pollution levels will be high.”
Those who want to filter the air in their own home can choose to invest in a permanent installation or opt for a portable version. People who live in wet climates are advised to get a system that destroys mould spores and those with children can opt for one that kills bacteria. Allergy suffers will benefit most from a device specifically designed to destroy pet dander, pollen and dust mites. Proponents of ventilation systems say they can be installed for less than ?2000.
Luminar scents solution to smelly clubs
April 08, 2007
Mark Choueke
Mark Choueke
Politicians may have the power to rid public places of the smell of cigarettes with the introduction of the smoking ban but some odours are simply beyond their power.
Nightclub operators in parts of Britain where the ban is already in force have found that when the smell of smoke is removed from their clubs they are left with the rancid smell of 2,000 hot, sweaty ravers.
Luminar, the UK’s largest nightclub operator, whose brands include Oceana, Liquid and Life, is currently trialling scented air conditioning to mask the heavy stench of body odour in its venues in Wales, where the ban was introduced earlier this month. A Luminar spokesman confirmed that the innovation would be rolled out to clubs in the rest of Britain if the experiment succeeded.
With the ban now in force everywhere but England, where it will be implemented on July 1, Luminar and its rivals, such as Ultimate Leisure and Novus Leisure, have their top executives trawling the country’s nightspots on trouble-shooting missions, noting problems inflicted by the smoking ban as well as solutions.
With the ban now in force everywhere but England, where it will be implemented on July 1, Luminar and its rivals, such as Ultimate Leisure and Novus Leisure, have their top executives trawling the country’s nightspots on trouble-shooting missions, noting problems inflicted by the smoking ban as well as solutions.
An industry executive said: “There are all sorts of smells in our clubs that we didn’t have to think about before the smoking ban. Some clubs have really old furniture and carpets that have seen more wear and tear than perhaps they should have and which absolutely stink. But the stench of body odour at full capacity on a Saturday night is the biggest problem.”
Operators are also fearful about the impact of the ban on bar revenues as they are forced to provide outside spaces for smokers to enjoy their cigarettes.
Some executives are more relaxed than others. One, who thinks most clubbers will forgo a cigarette to remain inside, “where the action is”, regularly asks colleagues: “What do people want most, a fag or a shag?” But other managers are investigating the possibility of introducing mobile bars on wheels to follow smokers as they go outside. Table service is also being trialled – waiters and waitresses will invite smokers to pre-order a round of drinks and have it ready for them when they return.
One concerned nightclub chain manager said: “The survival of a club might depend on getting 2,000 punters in and each one buying three drinks per hour. If it takes 20 minutes for a smoker to get out of the door, enjoy a fag and a chat, maybe a flirt, then queue to get back in the door and return to the bar, that customer can only buy two drinks per hour, maybe less. The smoking ban could hit my drinks sales by 10 or 15 per cent.”
The biggest problem could be how to manage the potential for 250 smokers at a time standing on the street if an owner doesn’t have the room or the money to build a smoking area. Club operators are in discussions with police and local authorities about problems of noise and disruption and must also consider how to let smokers back in if councils in rough areas have introduced a “no re-entry” policy.
THAT STINKS!
2nd-hand flatulence prompts new butts-out policy
‘No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke’
2nd-hand flatulence prompts new butts-out policy
‘No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke’
March 26, 2007
Stewart Laidlaw (courtesy Dumfermline Press)
Stewart Laidlaw (courtesy Dumfermline Press)
Scotland’s ban on smoking in pubs has backfired, so to speak, on a regular customer whose constant habit of breaking wind has now resulted in his expulsion from his favorite watering hole.
Stewart Laidlaw, 35, is being barred from Thirsty Kirsty’s in Dunfermline, Fife, for failing to control his flatulence.
“No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke,” Laidlaw told Wales on Sunday. “I never used to complain about the smell of their cigarette smoke, but now everyone complains about me. It’s just a natural thing. What can I do about it? I must be the first person in the country to get banned from a pub for passing wind. But it’s not a title I want. I certainly don’t see it as funny.”
The pub’s owner is crying foul, saying the stench has become unbearable since the country’s smoking ban went into effect last year. He thinks drinkers could have been breathing in the waft for years without ever noticing it.
Laidlaw says the ban just snuck up on him, taking him by complete surprise.
“I went in and basically he turned round and said, ‘Stewart, that’s the last fart you do in this pub. Get out.’ I didn’t even have a chance to draw breath,” he told the Dumfermline Press.
“I just walked in and that’s all he said to me. I don’t know if he meant I’d done it before or just then. He didn’t let me ask. What I remember when I walked in was there was a guy playing pool and it was already stinking and everyone was laughing. It could have been anyone. I’ve probably done it in the past – when you’re drinking and having a laugh you don’t think about it – but that’s not the point. I must be the first person in Dunfermline to get banned from a pub for passing wind. I’m really angry about the way I’ve been treated. He’s making a mountain out of a molehill.”
John Thow, the landlord at the pub, is blasting back, saying the long-term flatulence was beyond a joke.
“It is just disgusting,” he told the Press. “He revels in this and does it all the time and it’s absolutely foul, it would make you sick. Since the smoking ban he’s made a career out of this. He has been warned and asked politely to stop it on many occasions.
“We are a bus station pub and trying to keep new customers. The final straw was when an old gentleman came in and had his gin and tonic and the old guy was almost sick.
“Other people have dropped handbags, shall we say. But when everybody’s choking and I come out with the spray and say don’t do it again, they will appreciate that and stop it.
“His defense is, ‘It wasn’t all this when I had to put up with the smoking.’ Everybody can pass wind but when you make a hobby of it, it is going too far.
“He will clear the pub out usually and he thinks it is very funny. I don’t have to give him a reason for not serving him but I did, maybe thinking he would learn his lesson. But if he can’t see the error of his ways it’s a lost cause.
“I don’t want him back. I don’t need that behavior. It has been detected for about a year [since the smoking ban], but it might have been going on for a lot longer than that.
“If we have to apologize to other customers for him, then that’s too much.”
I’VE BEEN BARRED OVER TRUMPED-UP CHARGES
23 March 2007
By Oliver Coleman
Wind of change as punter gets ban for farting
23 March 2007
By Oliver Coleman
Wind of change as punter gets ban for farting
A SMELLY drinker has blamed the smoking ban after his local barred him for farting.
Stewart Laidlaw was asked to leave when another regular raised a stink about his trumping.
Pub staff told the 35-year-old not to return, claiming he “basked in the glory” of his whiffy ways.
Yesterday, Stewart said he was angry at the way he had been treated.
He added his fellow drinkers did not have a problem about his wind situation before the smoking clampdown a year ago.
The stock assistant at luxury store Harvey Nichols explained: “No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke.
“I never used to complain about the smell of their cigarette smoke but now everyone complains about me.
“It’s just a natural thing. What can I do about it?”
He was asked to leave Thirsty Kirsty’s in Dunfermline, Fife, by owner John Thow last week.
Stewart, who is registered disabled due to sight problems, partial paralysis and epilepsy, had drunk in the pub for about seven years.
He denied “pumping” on the day in question.
He protested: “Almost as soon as I walked through the door the landlord said, ‘Stewart, that’s the last fart you do in this pub. Get out’.
“I remember there had been a guy playing pool and it was already stinking and everyone was laughing. It could have been anyone.
“I admit I’ve probably done it in the past.
“Someone has told me I must be the first person in the country to get banned from a pub for passing wind.
“But its not a title I want. I certainly don’t see it as funny.”
Thow said the other regulars were fed up with Stewart’s wind problem. He said: “It has become way beyond a joke.
“Since the smoking ban was introduced, Stewart seems to have made a a career out of this.
“At first, we asked him politely to stop. Since then, he has been warned on many occasions.
“The final straw was when an old gentleman came in and had his gin and tonic and you could see he was almost physically sick.”
Fife Licence Trade Association secretary John Barclay backed the ruling.
He said: “If this guy keeps upsetting customers you have to address that.
“The smoking ban has raised a lot of issues. Some people are arriving in premises with serious cases of BO and you also have to deal with that.”
