Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning has been one of the
more under-publicized household hazards until two
recent events put it in the spotlight. One was the
accidental death in September 1994 of tennis star
Vitas Gerulaitas, who succumbed to CO while sleeping
in a rented home. The other was an ordinance that
went into effect October 1, 1994, in Chicago
requiring CO detectors in all residences heated by
any fossil fuel burning equipment - in effect, all
except solar or electrically heated homes. The
Chicago law was in reaction to a tragedy that
occurred in 1991 when a family of 10 was wiped out
by CO poisoning from a faulty furnace installation.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that "at
least" 250 people are killed each year from CO, a
very conservative estimate. The American Medical
Association says it's more like 1,500 people a year,
with another 10,000 or more taking ill.
There is a lot of uncertainty because CO is
tasteless, colorless and odorless - undetectable
except by sophisticated gear. Also, the main
symptoms of CO poisoning - fatigue, headaches, dizzy
spells and nausea - resemble those of the flu and
many other common illnesses. Thus CO poisoning is
easily misdiagnosed, and people can succumb to it
with very little physical discomfort, almost like
falling asleep. (Early news reports treated
Gerulaitas' death as mysterious and were filled with
speculation about drugs or foul play.)
CO is given off by incomplete combustion of
flammable fuels such as natural gas, oil, wood, coal
or kerosene. Common household appliances such as
furnaces, boilers, water heaters and stoves are all
potential sources of CO gas. All of these products
are designed with elaborate safeguards and under
normal operating conditions all the CO produced from
combustion will be harmlessly vented to the
atmosphere.
Poor venting, due to leaks or blockages in the vent
system, is the most common cause of CO build-up in
the home, followed by cracks or corrosion in a
furnace's heat exchanger. Here are some danger signs
and steps you can take to minimize the danger:
Most important, have your
furnace or
boiler regularly inspected, at least once a
year, by a licensed, competent heating professional.
The technician should check all connections to flue
piping and vents for cracks, gaps, rust, corrosion
or debris. Likewise the inspection should cover the
combustion chamber and heat exchanger for cracks,
holes, metal fatigue or corrosion, as well as the
filters and filtering system for dirt and blockages.
Debris should be cleared off the burner and safety
switches tested.A yellow , lazy-looking flame in
a natural gas furnace indicates inefficient fuel
burning, and consequently higher levels of carbon
monoxide. An inefficient oil furnace will give off
an oily odor - but remember, you can't smell CO
itself.
Chimneys and vents ought to be inspected regularly
for blockages caused by debris, animal nests or
cave-ins. Also beware of cracks and holes. Inspect
fireplaces for blocked flues, excess soot and
debris.
Be sure all vents are properly installed - including
those leading from the clothes dryer, water heater
and wood-burning stoves.
Never use an unvented space heater indoors. Never
burn charcoal inside and do not use your gas stove
as a heater. When cooking, keep the oven door
closed.
Avoid running both a furnace and fireplace
simultaneously for long periods of time. This can
create serious back drafting that prevents CO gas
from exiting the home. Never install a boiler,
furnace or water heater in an airtight enclosure.
Look for the following signs that may indicate CO
problems - streaks of soot around the service door
of a gas appliance; rust spots on flue pipe,
boilers, furnaces or water heaters; excessive
moisture on basement windows, which may indicate
poor ventilation; generally stale air throughout the
house, another sign of poor ventilation.
DO INSTALL AN UL-APPROVED CO DETECTOR
The UL standard requires home CO detectors to sound
a warning before CO levels reach over 100 parts per
million (ppm) over 90 minutes, 200 ppm over 35
minutes or 400 ppm over 15 minutes. These warning
should allow the average person to safely evacuate
the premises. (CO levels over 200 ppm lasting for 90
minutes can cause headaches in healthy adults. At
300 ppm the healthy adult may experience drowsiness,
at 400 ppm might collapse and 500 ppm exposure could
result in brain damage or death.)
Approved CO detectors are readily available at home
improvement centres or from your service company.
They are similar to smoke detectors in both
appearance and installation. The best place to
install a CO detector is near bedrooms. Don't
install one in the boiler or furnace room the garage
or the kitchen, where it may go off in reaction to
temporary elevated levels of CO.
What do you do if the alarm sounds? Vacate the house
quickly, opening doors and windows as you leave in
order to provide ventilation. Then contact a local
emergency service crew - usually the police or fire
department - for advice. Depending on your
community, they may have a CO measuring device on
hand to take a reading inside your home in order to
determine if it is safe to move back in.
Keep in mind that the act of ventilating your home
may make it safe for immediate occupancy but won't
fix whatever generated excess CO in the first place.
As soon as possible you need a professional
inspection of all possible CO sources. This should
be someone equipped with CO measuring gear able to
detect concentrations as small as 5-10 parts per
million. The measurement test should be conducted
over at least a 24-hour period.
It is possible for a CO alarm to be triggered by a
single unusual incident that presents no lasting
threat. However, if one ever goes off in your home,
you won't rest easily until you take all the
precautions possible to safeguard yourself and loved
ones.
If you are looking for an indoor air quality
contractor in Tennessee, then please call us today at
1-888-884-6299 or complete our
online service request form.
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