News

“Tragic blazes such as the Quincy fire on December 26, 2009, the Whitman fire last May, and the South Boston fire of 2002 — where a smoker using home oxygen ignited a fire resulting in the death of an eight-year-old girl — highlight the risks associated with home oxygen use,” says State Fire Marshal Coan.

The campaign explains that there is no safe way to smoke around home oxygen. The increased amount of oxygen present in the air, furniture, hair, clothing and bedding can ignite and accelerate a fire. Even though the oxygen tank may be shut off, the danger still remains.

“Understanding that there is no way to smoke safely when using home oxygen, patients who smoke can best protect themselves, their loved ones and neighbors by quitting,” says Paul F. Currier, MD, MPH, Director of Quality of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of Massachusetts General Hospital.

For more information about the home oxygen safety campaign, visit mass.gov/dfs.

For more information about quitting smoking, visit the Quitting section of makesmokinghistory.org.

The Boston Globe ran an article about the campaign on January 22, 2010.