Disposable rs light fuel fears A NORTH Vancouver man found himself tco close to the flame for comfort after severa] disposable cigarette lighters, purchased locally and months after they were recalled at the request of federal authorities, malfunctioned. The Mig disposable lighter, made in China, was voluntarily recalled by its Burnaby-based distributor following an investiga- tion of the product by Consumer and Corporate Affairs in October. The lighter was found to per- form marginally when tested against regulatory standards and was not properly labeiled. Mike Steele bought five Mig lighters recently at a North Shore convenience store. Once home, he lit a cigarette with one of therm. “And I discovered that smoking wasn’t the only thing hazardous to my health. In the midst of a tele- phone conversation I suddenly re- alized that not only was the lighter still lit, so was the table,’’ Steele said. The flame scorched the top of his dining room table. He snatch- ed the flaming disposable and put it out ina sink. “T was worried about the thing exploding at that point,”’ he said. Steele estimates that the lighter emptied itself in about 20 minutes. A second lighter lost all of its liq- uid butane contents in 5% hours. A third was emptied by the fol- lowing morning. Steele said the valve that con- trols the flow of gas frorn the lighter’s fuel reserve malfunctions and allows gas to continue to escape when the lighter is shut off. “You can literally light it, drop it in your pocket and set your clothes on fire....The problem with these damn things is they ei- ther won’t shut off or the gas is still releasing,’’ he added. Steele advised a North Van- couver City Fire Department of- ficial of his experience. “The chap who answered was horrified to learn that his wife was walking around with the same type of cigarette lighter. They contacted Consumer and Cor- porate Affairs on my behalf,’’ he said. Steele questions why the lighters are still available for purchase and why the public has not been alerted to the potential danger. Said Steele, ‘‘As a member of the foolish smoking public 1 have to query why on earth Consumer By Michael Becker News Reporter Affairs did not put out some sort of annouucement to people. I suggest that Consumer and Cor- porate Affairs is falling down on its job by not informing the public.” But said Rein Vasara, Con- sumer and Corporate Affairs pro- duct safety officer, ‘‘The fact that there are still lighters out there is of concern. It’s something that [71] follow up.”’ Vasara administers the Hazard- ous Products Act. Lighters are considered hazardous products and must meet regulatory stand- ards of !abelling, design and per- formance. In October, Vasara was notified that Mig lighters sold individually in trays were not properly labell- ed. The Jaw requires that a Cana- dian identity, such as an im- porter’s name, be on each lighter. A minimum sample of 250 of the lighters vas tested. Lighters are tested for perfor- mance including fluctuation of flame heigit, structural integrity, abnormal bi ning and after-burn. Vasara said the results were marginal. In response to Steele’s report of lighters failing to shut off, Vasara said, ‘‘We did have failures on tests that are related to that. There’s an indication of a structu- raf problem.” Added Vasarz, ‘‘When I reported to the distributor, he volunteered to remove them from sale. So it is a volurtary removal, based on labelling and the other aspect is marginal (performance). He also agreed to notify the man- ufacturer so that the next ship- ment would have corrections.”” But Steele maintains he was told by Consumer and Corporate Af- fairs that all Mig lighters sofd in trays were under mandatory recall and that the importer voluntarily agreed to recall all blister packs of Mig lighters. Meanwhile, Vasara said Steele's case is the only report that he is aware of in which a Mig lighter has caused damage. News wins eight ad awards THE NORTH Shore News adver- tising department won eight awards, including two first-place finishes, in this year’s prestigious Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) advertising and promotion awards contest. The News picked up first-place awards in the best regular adver- tising section for its Friday homes section and in the best single ad using process color category for a Mark's Work Wearhouse ad. Second-place awards won by the News included: © best single ad (black and white) for a Furnitureland ad; * best cover design for the News’ Our Town feature; © and best signature page for a Scout registration ad. The News also picked up three third-place awards: © a B.C. Parks and Recreation ad finished third overall in the best special general interest promotion section category; *a Discover Christmas promotion for Capilano Mall won third place in the best special shopping area promotion section; e and the News’ North Shore ‘So Much More...’ feature picked up third place for best cover design. Said News advertising director Linda Stewart, ‘‘We love to com- pete. We Jove to win. When we win, our advertisers and our readers win. This is the key to the success of the North Shore News.’ The SNA contest provides na- tional recognition for the advertis- ing and promotional achievements of SNA member companies and stimulates higher standards of ex- cellence among SNA _ member newspapers. rn re noe MIKE STEELE, of North Vancouver, displays faulty lighters recently purchased at a focal store. The Sunday. April 28, 1991 ~ North Shore News - 3 Mig disposable lighter was recalled last year by federal authorities. NV woman battles AFeaee A NORTH Vancouver woman claims she was nearly in- jured Thursday morning by a North Vancouver District bulldozer when she tried to stop district crews from damaging a local creek. Umeeda Switlo, who lives at 4121 Prospect Rd., said she stood in front of a bulldozer across the street from her house because she feared district works crews were about to damage a creek that runs through the area. The incident occurred just two days after fish were killed in Thain Creek after a district water works crew pumped polluted water out of a pipe into a storm sewer that discharged into the waterway. The fish kiti ': currently being investigated by ine B.C. environ- ment ministry. But Switlo, who had helped stock the creek with trout prior to the fish kill, said she saw a district crew doing the same thing on Thursday morning and went across the street to tell them to stop. “They were repeating the same kind of mistake they did on Tues- day. They said no one told them to do it any differently,’’ Switlo said Friday. She subsequently called district director of engineering John Bremner, who told her that some- one would be sent out to the site. B High Profiles .......... 18 1B Classified Ads.......... 41 wt Cocktails & Caviar ..... 17 Mi Comics ............... 40 B® Fashion............... 13 .Dykeman... procedures in 8y Surj Rattan News Reporter Switlo then went back outside. “They were trying to cover up NVD MAYOR Murray place to ensure that it doesn't happen again. what they had done so I stood in front of the front loader. It came right up to my face and the oper- ator had lifted the bucket and was about to dump a load when the foreman jumped in and told him Index. @ High Tech ............ 23 Miss Manners ......... 38 W Travel ..........02.... 24 BR Vintage Years ......... 39 @ What's Going On ...... 10 Second Class Registration Number 3866 NEWS phato Cindy Goodman bulldozer to stop,”’ said Switlo. ‘*Then I received all kinds of abuse from them. I’ve never been so scared before in my life.’” Switlo said Bremner arrived at the site a short time later ‘‘and admitted they were doing it wrong.”"’ Bremner was unavailable for comment to press time Friday, Mayor Murray Dykeman said he was not aware of Thursday’s incident. But he said the Thain Creek trout were killed Tuesday after about 35 gallons of ‘‘dirty water’’ were accidently discharged from a pipe onto a road and then into the creek. “Our crew didn’t know the water was there,’’ Dykeman said. “The incident was dealt with and there are now procedures in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”” Dykeman said the conflict be- tween residents in the Prospect Road area, particularly with Switto and the developer of the site, has been going on for a long time. “I can’t close down north Lonsdale. I understand Mrs. Switlo’s concerns, but the sensitiv- ity level at that address is at the flash point. If a truck drives onto that site, that is often cause for a phone call,’* Dykeman said. Weather Monday and Tuesday, cloudy with sunny periods Highs 15°C, Lows 6°C.