Health problems from indoor pollution today:
- Blurry Vision
- Chest Pains
- Coughing
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Irritated Eyes
- Migraines
- Nausea
- Ringing Ear
- Sore Throat
- Trouble Breathing
UPDATE: The pollution apparently started to clear out directly after the last update, which would indicate that they are probably following these logs (which isn't surprising since they were following the logs when they were on Facebook as well, going as far as to "stalk" my profile wall). That's fine with me, saves me some trouble for when Charles doesn't see the texts or takes a while to respond to them.
UPDATE: The smell of spice started coming from E26 again about 7 AM, sent another text to Charles. I disclosed some further information about it being able to be smelled in the public hallways, however there was a catch with this; the smell of the spice that was entering the public hallways was actually coming from E22, which to my knowledge doesn’t have anybody currently living in it, so the pollution from E26 is likely getting sucked through the vent from E26 to E22 via central air, then pushed out into the public hallways. The reason why this smell effects my unit less than E22 (being right in the middle of them) is that I currently don’t have my central air running because of this problem; not having it running may lessen that pollution since there isn’t any suction to suck that secondhand filth into my unit, however it doesn’t completely stop it. I started using my respirator again due to the level of toxicity built in a very short time until Charles responds; he didn’t respond to the last text, so he may not respond to this one either, however I expect that may just be because he’s currently asleep.
UPDATE: Started smelling the pollution in my unit again around 7:44 AM, however it took a while to build to where it could be smelled in the hallway; it was still coming somewhat from E22 (which is expected to be going through the vents from E26), however it took a while before it could be smelled in front of their unit in the public hallway. Charles was texted again at 8:13 AM, this makes 5 time since midnight (not including the follow-up text to the retaliation the first time). I also mentioned that I believe the only thing that is getting them to stop (if only briefly) when he doesn’t call them is the fact that they appear to be following the blog I started on this problem (which Charles will probably chew me out over, but that’s the breaks; I won’t be taking them down even if he threatened me with a lawsuit & I think he already has an idea of what will happen if he does go through with any sort of legal action). I had to put my respirator back on as I was typing this update since the level of pollution will just continue to build until it’s posted or until Charles calls them (many times the first call from Charles just starts a retaliation phase where the pollution gets much stronger, meaning I need to text Charles again & he needs to call them again). Charles has not responded to the last 2 texts I sent him regarding this; I can’t say I expect a response to this one, but it’s getting around the time he should be getting up for work (the only exception to that would be he might still be attempting to get better from an illness, which I’m sure having to continue dealing with this problem several times a day isn’t helping him get over it).
UPDATE: Doesn’t look like the last update is going to get it to stop this time; I have another route I can take when both Charles isn’t calling them & the logging updates don’t work, but nobody in the building likes it & it’s not really something I want to use at night. If they want to be particularly stubborn, I’ll start using that & continue doing it until they stop.
UPDATE: That asshole in E26 has been extremely stubborn with their indoor pollution today. I sent another text to Charles at 10:51 AM, that makes at least 7 different instances I have texted him today about this problem. The logging doesn't seem to be deterring him anymore & any break we get if I hit the wall is very brief (less that 30 seconds). I think it's time I file that complaint with Murray City Legislators against the Murray Police so we can start getting the police to respond to illegal drugs use reports in this building again.
UPDATE: I have contacted District 44 House Representative Bruce Cutler, not only to push for more protection for non-smokers, but also to make a complaint against the Murray Police for not doing their job. The email sent states the following:
(personal information removed) I have been dealing with a problem living here for over 2 years of indoor pollution (smoking/drug use) that has kept me ill nearly ever day starting in 2014 (I moved here August of 2013). Originally I contacted Orin Hatch, seeking the possibility of making the Utah Clean Air Act applicable to indoor multi-residential buildings such as apartments & condos; the representative that responded to my inquiry stated that this kind of request needs to be directed towards state & city legislators. The laws as they are now do not protect non-smokers in multi-residential units & many of us may not have the funds to move out of those health hazards, leading to severe health problems or fatalities from drifting cigarette smoke. I am asking you if there is anything you can do to push current Utah laws to provide better protection for those with respiratory issues. Because of this daily pollution, I am unable to use my central air & have to rely on portable coolers & space heaters. Furthermore I got a cold over 3 months ago that I still have not been able to fully get over & this is preventing me from applying for new jobs (I have been unemployed since April 16, 2015; the fact that I have mental disabilities makes it hard enough to even get a job, much less keep it, but nobody is going to hire me if I can't stop coughing). I have attempted to use air freshers/sanitizer/purifiers & scented candles to deal with this problem; in the end the only thing that seems to help is a respirator designed for mold removal. The HOA won't even listen to the problem & I currently don't have the option of moving, so it's more likely I will be killed by this daily problem before I will be able to move (at this point the problem is more drugs that cigarettes, but that brings me to the problem below)...Personal information has been removed from the email in this quote, but other than that, it's an exact duplicate of what was sent.
On another note (seeing as the representative from Orin Hatch's office stated that we need to file a complaint about this matter to City Legislators to get something done about it), the Murray Police will no longer respond to complaints I attempt to file with then. This comes from making multiple illegal drug use reports in our building on certain individuals who have since been evicted from here, where the police were not able to verify those reports because those individuals had lengthy criminal histories & unfortunately knew the police could not do anything if they didn't answer the door. As a result of this, the police have labeled those reports as unfounded & likely false reports simply because the people causing the problem at the time knew how to manipulate the legal system. We currently have problems with other drug users in the building & even the Building Management has been attempting to get the police out here on those problems, yet the police won't respond to his complaints either. I ask that you relay this complaint to the police & if possible, find some form of resolution to those officers choosing not to do their job.
UPDATE: Time to stop playing games here. The pollution from E26 has been happening pretty well all night & continued for most of the day (I ended up going to bed around 4 PM after going to lunch with a friend, where that pollution was so think in my unit it I was having trouble even breathing, so beyond that I can not say). I may not be able to determine WHO is causing the problem, but I can definitely determine WHERE it is coming from, so from now on while the pollution is a problem, I'm going to be adding a link to the latest log linking to some information about the people responsible for the problem based on address. The link will be removed when they knock it off & re-added when it starts up again. In the case where the pollution is happening when I go to bed (especially if it forces me to bed ill, as it nearly did a couple times today & actually did at about 4 PM), the link won't get removed until after I wake up & only if I no longer smell it. Even if this information gets removed, I have backed it up & will use those backups if needed (originally I had checked to see if the information was cached on WayBackMachine, it wasn't), however for now I'll just be referring the link to the site that has the information. They're likely going to throw a legal threat at me over this as they have in the past, but I won't be intimidated into removing it through threats anymore; they can control when it shows based on when they are causing indoor pollution, however if they do decide to take legal action, they will be getting publicly accused for pushing a mentally disabled person to suicide & that situation will likely be aired on the news based on the method used, especially since I plan on pointing it out to the news before I go through with it. The link has been showing for probably 6 to 8 hours already, which at this point is being removed since the smell has been substantially lowered & the source currently can't be verified.
Charles has stated he's in some meetings & hasn't been able to respond to the number of texts I sent him last night, but seems he will when he has the chance. I have notified him of the complaint to House Representative Bruce Cutler regarding non-smokers rights in multi-residential buildings & the complaint against the Murray Police for not doing their job; Charles has also been provided with a full copy of the email that was sent including personal information.
As for the email that was sent, it looks like Bruce has responded to it rather quickly. There seems to be the confusion that I was referring to apartments, however; while I did include apartments in that request for revisions of laws to protect non-smokers, I will need to clear up the confusion that I was requesting this to be considered for condos as well, seeing as changing the law for only apartments isn't really going to resolve the problem that I'm currently having. I still intend on moving regardless of whether the Utah Clean Air Act begins to apply to condos or not because of the discrimination & hostility I am receiving from others in the building, but this should make the matter more tolerable until I can move if it happens before I get the chance to move...should I survive long enough for it to go into effect. Should this be made a reality, indoor smokers can blame the owners of E26 for this happening, since my fight for my rights as a non-smoker probably wouldn't have gone this far if not for the daily problems I have been dealing with since early 2014 while living here.
UPDATE: The pollution from E26 appears to be starting up again, however currently it is not strong enough to exacerbate health problems to the point that I need to text Charles again or re-add the link with information about residents in that unit (it's getting there though), so right now I'm going to use this opportunity to disclose information on where the conversation with Bruce Cutler is going. In Bruce's response to my email, he stated the following:
Hello Shane,My response to him was as follows:
I will have to look into the indoor clean air act and see how it affects apartment buildings.
Have you contacted your landlord to see if he/she is willing to move you to another apartment away from those that smoke?
Who in the city have you contacted about your other issues? This is mostly a local enforcement issue.
- Rep. Cutler
In my case currently, it's a matter of effecting condos, not apartments (however apartments are also a part of this request as I had that problem in every apartment I lived in; the last one I had to break the lease on under the claim of being a health hazard only to move into these condos, where the issue is 20 to 50 times worse than it was in those apartments). I am a renter of the unit, where my father is the owner. One of the reasons why the HOA will not hear me out on the matter is they believe I do not have a right to speak at the HOA meetings being classified as a renter, even though I am direct family with the owner & the unit was actually purchased for me to live here (while paying rent to my father). At this point the indoor pollution problem caused by indoor drugs (not so much a matter of indoor smoking anymore, at least as far as I can tell; however what is expected to be spice might be coverup for indoor smoking, among other possible secondhand pollution that we can't get the police out here to deal with). On a suggestion from the representative from Orin Hatch's office, I attempted to talk my father into speaking to the HOA for these condos about this matter, however that conversation didn't turn out too well (he turned hostile over the phone) & he refused to even speak to them about it. At this point my father is attempting to move me out, but considering I can't drive, my father's requirements to purchase a small house for me to live in may make it impossible to find a place. The big demands he is insisting on that's going to make finding a place very difficult is it needs to be within walking distance of a grocery store, under $160,000 & be no older than 1940 (built date); a small/no yard is preferable & not too far from where my parents live where other requirements, but seems he's willing to negotiate those terms if the others are met. My father seems to see the ability to walk to a grocery store more important than being able to get out the current health hazard...UPDATE: Indoor temps in my unit reached a peak low of 65° F due to not being able to use my heater via central air due to pollution coming from E26. This is also the reason why I have had my gas shut off since September of 2015 knowing that I wouldn't be able to use the heater while this pollution problem continues.
I have been fighting this battle for about 2 years now, ill nearly ever day (I actually lost $900 in wages in 2015 due to illness caused by this pollution when I worked at home over the internet & was forced to bed ill from that pollution) & constantly having my attempts to get it stopped put on ice by the management of the condos because I do not have the funds to take the the people responsible for the problem to court over making my own home uninhabitable (without some severe health problems, that is). I have contacted numerous organizations in an attempt to get them involved in this situation & hopefully find a resolution, the most recent being Utah Legislation. It might be easier to refer you to the description on my Facebook profile banner, but I'll see what I can do here in regards to how many organizations I have contacted regarding this matter & what happened with those contacts:
- HEALTH INSPECTORS - An attempt to force an inspection of just how bad the pollution is to see if the place could be classified as an inhospitable health hazard & force the HOA into make some changes to get the condos up to code under condo standards in Utah. These condos were originally old sports buildings from what I've heard & I know that at least the wiring isn't up to code, causing numerous surges & fried electronic devices as a result of it. The ventilation is anything but air-tight & the pollution goes right through the walls from one unit to another (currently the pollution coming from E26 effects every unit on this side of the building on the upper floor; I can't say for certain if it effects the lower floor, but that's a possibility). Unfortunately those Health Inspectors that I contacted, never contacted me back...
- POLICE - The police have been contacted on this problem numerous times. Originally the HOA would allow me to sit in on the HOA meeting & even speak at the first 2 I went to, however the third one I attempted to go to they wouldn't allow me to speak without a permission slip from my landlord (father). I thought it would be pretty simple to get that letter from my father, but he decided after debating it for a while that he didn't want me to be able to speak at the HOA meeting because many people in the building have not been happy with my means in fighting for my rights as a non-smoker & this is what's caused the discrimination & hostility from the majority of the building that I live in. When the HOA did allow me to be a part of the meeting, they stated that I needed to take smoking matters (as it was indoor smoking in the beginning) up with the police. I did that a few times, but every time it was the same; they stated they couldn't do anything about indoor smoking. Eventually it turned into a matter of drug use & the police a lot of the time would not respond to those complaints expecting I was using the excuse of illegal drugs to get them out here on indoor smoking problems. Eventually every time I called them, they either wouldn't show (even if the dispatch stated there were sending something) or have an officer call me back & state they were not going to respond to the problem since past complaints were "unfounded". As for why the police could never verify those complaints, that was simply because the people causing the problem never answer the door, knowing the police couldn't do anything without a search warrant due to their lengthy criminal histories & past experiences with the police. Eventually I stopped calling the police because every time I would never get anywhere in calling them; I expect if I ever needed a paramedic (which is very likely with the health problems I have now from the constant pollution), I do not expect they would even send one & that would be the death of me...
- HOA OF UTAH - I attempted to contact the HOA of Utah to see if they could do something about the HOA for these condos choosing to ignore the issue. Unfortunately my attempts to contacted them went ignored...
- TOBACCO PREVENTION & CONTROL PROGRAM - This is one of the few organizations that have attempted to help with this problem. I have contacted them 3 times in my time living here, every time they have attempted to get involved, however get shut down I believe when they contacted Building Management, where from my understanding from the Building Manager, Charles Blackwood, they simply get referred to their lawyers.
- ANONYMOUS CRIME/DRUGS ABUSE TIP LINES/WEBSITES - I started using this when it was obvious the police would not respond to complaints from my phone number. I've made at least a few different complaints regarding this matter & other illegal activity, however I do not know if those complaints anywhere...
- IPETITIONS - This was an attempt to get non-smoker co-operation to get the laws changed through an online petition. The petition got little recognition, so it never really went anywhere. The petition can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ban-indoor-smoking-in-shared-residential-buildings.
- DISABILITY LEGAL AID - This was an attempt to gain funding or find a lawyer that would work a lawsuit against the people responsible for the problem by taking up to 100% of what would be won in a lawsuit rather than charging separate fees as payment (seeing as this would be the only way I would be able to pay for it). Given I have a mental disability & am currently a client with Valley Mental Health (have been for most of my life), I attempt to go through Disability Legal Aid before attempting to go through Utah Legal Aid. Unfortunately the number my case manager (provided through VMH, more accurately a part of Independent Living) led to a physical abuse hotline, so I didn't get anywhere with that route...
- UTAH LEGAL AID - The majority of what was said above is accurate here also. They stated that they won't cover this kind of issue, but stated I could attempt to file a lawsuit against them without an attorney.
- UTAH STATE COURTS SELF-HELP - Given I didn't know the first thing about filing for a lawsuit against somebody (especially without an attorney), I contacted this website for some insight on how I would start it. They provided me with a document that I could use to file for the lawsuit against these individuals, however I looked at the document & couldn't make heads nor tails of it, so I ended up decided I wouldn't be able to take the matter to court without a lawyer, which I didn't have the funds for, so I gave up on the idea of taking them to court unless I could talk my father into doing it (which he has been against since this hold discussion started, even doing it on my own when I could have paid for it).
- FOX 13 NEWS - I contacted Fox 13 News in an attempt to get something aired on the news pushing for law changes that would better protect non-smokers. Unfortunately I never heard back from them & to my knowledge, nothing ever got aired on the news...
At this point we are here, having this discussion. Perhaps one of my last attempts to find a way out of this situation, get over the symptoms of this cold I have had for over 3 months (prolonged because of the pollution), finish getting my dental work done (something that has been postponed due to being unable to stop coughing) & hopefully get well enough to be able to start applying for new jobs.
- SENATOR ORIN HATCH - I contacted him to see what could be done to change the law in the US (or at least in Utah) to better protect non-smokers or those with severe respirator issues in shared-residential buildings. I got a reply back about a month later from a Mr. Launey (if I'm spelling his name correctly) stating that they couldn't do anything from that office, but gave me some insight on where to go with it. He stated that I should contact Utah State Legislators to see what could be done about changing the laws & Murray City Legislators to make a complaint against the police for not doing their job.
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