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Title: Better Safe Than Sorry (Tips for Avoiding Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning in the Winter)
Author: LeAnn R. Ralph
Article:
Better Safe Than Sorry: Tips for Avoiding Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning in the Winter
© 2007 LeAnn R. Ralph
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, and that, of course,
is exactly why it is so deadly.
I interviewed three fire chiefs and two emergency medical
technicians in the area where I live in Wisconsin for a two-part
series on carbon monoxide poisoning that I wrote for the
newspaper at which I am employed.
Here's what they had to say. . .
~~~~~~~~~~ Furnaces ~~~~~~~~~
Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels like wood, natural gas,
gasoline, kerosene, charcoal, oil or coal do not have enough
oxygen to burn completely.
In general, the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can
include headache, nausea, weakness, mental confusion and
shortness of breath. Carbon monoxide poisoning often is
described as creating flu-like symptoms.
According to the fire chiefs and EMTs, the number one cause for
carbon monoxide poisoning is a malfunctioning furnace, and they
all mentioned one specific case that occurred in our area last
fall.
Members of a particular family noticed that they were suffering
from headaches and nausea. When they left the house during the
day, the headaches and nausea went away. When they returned at
night, the headaches and nausea returned. Still, the symptoms
were nothing more than an annoying headache and a bit of nausea
so they thought nothing of it. Perhaps the whole family had been
exposed to a virus of some kind.
As the weather grew colder, the family began using the furnace
more and more. The symptoms grew worse until one evening, a
family member called 911 because they were all so ill.
First responders on the scene recognized the symptoms of carbon
monoxide poisoning and called the fire department. When
firefighters put the carbon monoxide tester by the heat
register, it went off the scale. EMTs had to wait to enter the
home until the the windows and doors had been opened to clear
out the carbon monoxide.
Fortunately, all of the family members survived.
The fire chiefs and EMTs recommend having your furnace checked
by a certified furnace technician in late summer or early fall
so that you know your furnace is functioning properly when
heating season arrives.
If your furnace has vent pipes near ground level outside your
home, check the pipes when the temperature is below freezing to
make sure they are not plugged by snow or ice.
~~~~~~~~ Garages ~~~~~~~~
Garages can also be a source of carbon monoxide.
When the weather is very cold, people will start their car in a
garage that is attached to a house to let it warm up.
But even with the garage door open, carbon monoxide can seep in
your home, say the fire chiefs and EMTs. If the weather is cold
for a week or more, the carbon monoxide can eventually build up
to dangerous level inside the house. And because new houses are
built to be air-tight and energy-efficient, the carbon monoxide
has little opportunity to escape.
"In 'the good old days' when people lived in drafty houses where
the curtains moved in the winter, you never heard of anyone
being poisoned by carbon monoxide," said one of the EMTs.
If you want to let your car run for a while to warm it up, back
it out of the garage and shut the door, say the fire chiefs and
EMTs.
Garages also can pose a problem during winter weather for people
who like to work on their cars.
Last year, the 22-year-old grandson of one of our church members
died while working on his car. The weather was especially cold
outside, so he was working on his car in the garage with the
door closed. The young man would make adjustments to the engine,
start the car to see how it was running, shut it off, make more
adjustments, start it again. Eventually he was overcome by
carbon monoxide.
Do not start your car (or snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle or
motorcycle) in the garage with the door closed for any reason.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternative Sources of Heat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If the electricity goes out in the winter, people are sometimes
tempted to try to keep their home warm until the electricity
comes back on by turning on a gas oven and opening the door or
by starting a gas grill or charcoal grill inside the house.
Never use a gas oven or a barbecue grill to heat your home, say
the fire chiefs and EMTs.
Carbon monoxide can also be a problem when certain areas of a
home -- or a garage or a workshop -- are especially cold and
people use a fuel-burning space heater (kerosene is a good
example) to provide additional heat.
Before using a fuel-burning space heater, get it checked out by
a certified technician to make sure that it is functioning
properly. And also be sure to operate it in a well-ventilated
area by opening windows and doors.
A few years ago during the winter, an elderly neighbor's furnace
stopped working. She could not afford to have the furnace fixed
or replaced, so she purchased a kerosene heater and was using it
to heat the downstairs area of her house.
One day, the driver of a fuel-delivery truck stopped by to see
if her liquid propane tank needed to be filled. The driver
noticed that the tank was at the same level it been at the last
time he had stopped a month earlier, so he went to house to make
sure the woman was all right.
He knocked on the front door, and as soon as the woman opened
the door, he said he was nearly overcome by the kerosene fumes
that billowed from the house. He found out that the woman's
furnace had stopped working and alerted the proper authorities
who were able to provide emergency shelter until a human
services agency could arrange for funding to replace the furnace.
The elderly are more susceptible to fumes and to carbon monoxide
poisoning, said the fire chiefs and EMTs, and in this case, the
woman was lucky to have survived the experience.
If you must operate a fuel-burning space heater, be sure to open
some windows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carbon Monoxide Detectors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carbon monoxide detectors can be purchased at most hardware
stores, and prices can be anywhere from $20 up to around $50.
Many different types of detectors are available, ranging from a
straight carbon monoxide detector, to a combination detector
that will alert you to the presence of carbon monoxide or
natural gas, to units that are a combination carbon monoxide and
smoke detector.
Some detectors are battery operated, some plug into an outlet,
and some have digital read-outs. No matter what type of detector
you have in your home, if the alarm is going off, call the fire
department, the gas company or a furnace repair technician to
check it out.
The fire chiefs and EMTs noted that putting a carbon monoxide
detector near your fuel-burning furnace is a good idea. Carbon
monoxide detectors should also be installed on every level of
the house, near the main family area and near the bedroom areas.
If you have a gas water heater or a gas dryer or a gas stove in
the kitchen, you might want to install carbon monoxide detectors
near those appliances as well.
And always be sure to buy detectors that have been approved by a
recognized testing agency and have a seal of approval. Follow
the recommendations on the box as to how many detectors should
be installed and where they should be installed for that
particular detector.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Additional Tips to
Avoid Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember that the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include
sleepiness, headache, nausea, weakness, shortness of breath and
mental confusion.
If symptoms get better when you leave the house but get worse
when you return, you might want to suspect that carbon monoxide
poisoning is the culprit.
If you think you have been exposed to carbon monoxide, leave
your house and call the fire department from a friend's or
neighbor's house (or use your cell phone) and do not go back
inside until the house has been checked.
Do not open doors and windows until the fire department or a
furnace repair technician or a utility company employee has
checked your home for carbon monoxide. Opening the doors and
windows will reduce the amount of carbon monoxide, and the
testing device will not give adequate information about the
carbon monoxide level in your home.
If you suspect that a friend, relative or neighbor has been
overcome by carbon monoxide, leave the home immediately and call
the fire department.
******************
LeAnn R. Ralph is a reporter in Wisconsin. She also is the
author of books about growing up on a small family dairy farm 40
years ago. The Midwest Book Review calls this series of books
"Highly recommended reading!" You are invited to sign up for the
twice-monthly newsletter from Rural Route 2 --
http://ruralroute2.com
About the author:
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of books about growing up on a
dairy farm 40 years ago. http://ruralroute2.com
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