A pensioner who needs an oxygen cylinder to breathe has been banned from her local Royal British Legion because she has been declared a fire hazard.
Gillian Western, 66, has been told her life-saving cylinder is too dangerous because she is a smoker and it could explode if flames mix with the oxygen.
Mrs Western, who lives round the corner from the club, is now house-bound after the branch in Heswall, on the Wirral, told her not to come back. Wheelchair-user Mrs Western, suffers from chronic bronchial asthma and must take the oxygen with her at all times.
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What are your views on this? Although it seems a shame she has been banned from an important social part of her life, I think that having someone smoking with an oxygen set nearby (possibly around her neck?) is not a good idea.
Banned from Royal British Legion
Started by
PCmonkey
, Dec 18 2004 12:34 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
Posted 18 December 2004 - 01:17 PM
Hang on a sec.. shes got bronchial asthma.. she smokes.
She also uses pure oxygen.....
I don't blame them to be honest.
She also uses pure oxygen.....
I don't blame them to be honest.
#3
Posted 18 December 2004 - 02:31 PM
Makes you laugh doesn't it?
Don't they have Co2 cylinders behind the bar for pop and beer etc? The heat from a cigarette will not make an oxy bottle explode and should a fire break out one hopes she would be whisked away before any danger threatened. H&S gone mad.
Don't they have Co2 cylinders behind the bar for pop and beer etc? The heat from a cigarette will not make an oxy bottle explode and should a fire break out one hopes she would be whisked away before any danger threatened. H&S gone mad.
#4
Posted 18 December 2004 - 02:56 PM
CO2 is non-reactive whereas O2 will react with almost anything. It's called Combustion 
Seriously though, she has to breath the O2 which means it will leak out around her face mask. Smoke too near that and whoosh!
It does make you wonder sometimes though. I feel sorry for the lady but she'll have her oxygen due to chronic respiratory problems and part of the medical advice that she'll have been given is do not smoke...
Seriously though, she has to breath the O2 which means it will leak out around her face mask. Smoke too near that and whoosh!
It does make you wonder sometimes though. I feel sorry for the lady but she'll have her oxygen due to chronic respiratory problems and part of the medical advice that she'll have been given is do not smoke...
#5
Posted 18 December 2004 - 09:19 PM
Sad, but it had to be done - the lady is a health risk to others. As for continuing to smoke I am guessing that she gets pleasure from it and not a lot else, especially now how social life has been deleted. Stopping smoking when you are that ill is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
