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Carbon Monoxide
– Is Your Family At Risk?
You’ve
probably read the articles or heard the stories about the tragic
results of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Exposure to dangerous levels
of Carbon Monoxide (CO) has been known to be harmful and even
fatal. According to the
National Safety Council, 200-300 unintentional injury/deaths occur
each year due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Is your home protected by a Carbon Monoxide
detector? If not, you and your family may be at risk!
The Loveland Fire Prevention Bureau recommends that
all homes utilizing any type of natural gas or propane-fueled
appliances be equipped with working Carbon Monoxide detectors. CO
detectors can be purchased at most department stores, hardware
stores, and home improvement centers. CO detectors should be
installed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Just
like smoke alarms, Carbon Monoxide detectors should be tested
regularly and batteries should be replaced as recommended by the
manufacturer. If your CO detector activates, or if you believe
there may be potentially harmful levels of CO in your home, you
should evacuate immediately and call 911 from a safe location.
The following information is provided by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency:
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon monoxide is an odorless,
colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or
smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in
your home. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that
are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include headaches,
dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue. The effects of CO
exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age,
overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.
Sources of Carbon Monoxide
Unvented kerosene and gas space
heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces,
gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves;
generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust
from attached garages; and tobacco smoke. Incomplete oxidation
during combustion in gas ranges and unvented gas or kerosene heaters
may cause high concentrations of CO in indoor air. Worn or poorly
adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces)
can be significant sources, or if the flue is improperly sized,
blocked, disconnected, or is leaking. Auto, truck, or bus exhaust
from attached garages, nearby roads, or parking areas can also be a
source.
Health Effects Associated with
Carbon Monoxide
At low concentrations, exposure
to Carbon Monoxide can cause fatigue in healthy people and chest
pain in people with heart disease. At higher concentrations,
symptoms can include impaired vision and coordination, headaches,
dizziness, confusion, and nausea. Carbon Monoxide can cause flu-like
symptoms that clear up after leaving home. Acute effects are due to
the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, which inhibits
oxygen intake. At moderate concentrations, angina, impaired vision,
and reduced brain function may result. At higher concentrations, CO
exposure can be fatal.
Levels in Homes
Average levels in homes without
gas stoves vary from 0.5 to 5 parts per million (ppm). Levels near
properly adjusted gas stoves are often 5 to 15 ppm and those near
poorly adjusted stoves may be 30 ppm or higher.
Steps to Reduce Exposure to
Carbon Monoxide
It is most important to be sure
combustion equipment is maintained and properly adjusted. Vehicular
use should be carefully managed adjacent to buildings and in
vocational programs. Additional ventilation can be used as a
temporary measure when high levels of CO are expected for short
periods of time.
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Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
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Consider purchasing a vented space heater when
replacing an unvented one.
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Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
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Install and use an exhaust fan vented to outdoors
over gas stoves.
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Open flues when fireplaces are in use.
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Choose properly sized wood stoves that are
certified to meet EPA emission standards. Make certain that
doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.
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Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and
tune-up central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys)
annually. Repair any leaks promptly.
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Do not idle the car inside garage.
Measurement Methods
Some relatively high-cost
infrared radiation adsorption and electrochemical instruments do
exist. Moderately priced real-time measuring devices are also
available. A passive monitor is currently under development.
Standards or Guidelines
No standards for CO have been
agreed upon for indoor air. The U.S. National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for outdoor air are 9 ppm (40,000 micrograms per meter
cubed) for 8 hours, and 35 ppm for 1 hour.
Additional Resources
To report a dangerous product or
a product-related injury, call the Consumer Product Safety
Commission's (CPSC) hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC teletypewriter
at (800) 638-8270. Consumer can obtain recall information at CPSC's
web site -
www.cpsc.gov. Consumers can report product hazards to
info@cpsc.gov.
Links to Additional Information
EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation page:
"CO
- How Carbon Monoxide Affects the Way We Live and Breathe"
EPA's
Office of Research and Development:
·
Carbon Monoxide and the Nervous System. Raub, J. A., and V. A.
Benignus. Carbon Monoxide and the Nervous System. NEUROSCIENCE AND
BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS 26(8):925-940, (2002).
·
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - A Public Health Perspective. Raub,
J. A., M. Mathieunolf, N. B. Hampson, and S. R. Thom. Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning--a Public Health Perspective. TOXICOLOGY
(145):1-14, (2000)
·
Revised Evaluation of Health Effects Associated With Carbon Monoxide
Exposure: An Addendum to the 1979 EPA Air Quality Criteria Document
for Carbon Monoxide Benignus, V., L. Grant, D. Mckee, and J.
Raub. Revised Evaluation of Health Effects Associated With Carbon
Monoxide Exposure: An Addendum to the 1979 EPA Air Quality Criteria
Document for Carbon Monoxide. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C., EPA/600/8-83/033F (NTIS PB85103471).
U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20207
Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers (CPSC document #466)
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
200
Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington,
DC 20210
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/carbonmonoxide/recognition.html
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