Hundreds of people die every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Knowing the facts can reduce the number of these accidents and save lives.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is a gas that you cannot see, smell or taste. It can be produced by gas or oil furnaces, space and water heaters, clothes dryers, ovens, wood stoves and other household appliances that run on fossil fuels such as wood, gas, oil or coal. If your home is very well sealed or not well ventilated, the levels of carbon monoxide in the air may easily rise to deadly levels.
Why is Carbon Monoxide So Deadly?
When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it can cause brain damage, suffocation or death. Because you cannot see, smell or taste the deadly gas, poisoning can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Everyone is at risk but pregnant women, young children, senior citizens and people with heart and lung problems are at a greater risk.
What Are The Warning Signs?
Carbon monoxide poisoning and the common flu seem a lot alike at first. Early warning signs of low-level poisoning include tiredness,
headaches, dizziness, nausea
or vomiting and shortness of
breath. Your skin may also turn
pink or red in response to rising
blood pressure. If you are feeling any of these symptoms, ask other members of the household if they are also feeling ill. If so you may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and should talk to your doctor.
How Can You Protect Yourself In
The Home?
There are three things you can do to protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning.
1.Check the flame colour of your
appliances, if it is orange you do
have a problem. However, Blue
does not necessarily mean it is safe. Have a qualified service technician inspect and clean your fuel-burning appliances once a year.
2. Install at least one carbon monoxide detector in your home, especially outside your bedroom.
There are several types of detectors,
including battery-operated and plug-in
models.
Whichever detector you
choose, make sure it
bears the British Standard
Kitemark seen here.
It is a good idea to install a detector on every level of your home outside sleeping areas.
3.Bird's nests, twigs and old mortar in chimneys can block proper ventilation and lead to a build up of carbon monoxide gas in the home. To avoid this problem, have your vent pipe and chimney flues checked and cleaned at least once a year by a qualified technician.
Is There Ongoing Maintenance?
Install the carbon monoxide detector according to the manufacturer's instructions. This will ensure it works properly. As with all detectors, test your carbon monoxide detector regularly to make sure it is doing its job to protect you. The instructions should tell you how and when to test the alarm. Often, you simply press the test button on the detector and listen for the alarm. Remember to check the instructions as to when you should replace the battery or the full detector. Like most things in life, carbon monoxide detectors tend to wear out over time.
