Facts on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
What is carbon monoxide (CO) and why do I need to understand it? The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that approximately 200 people per year are killed by accidental CO poisoning, with an additional 5000 people injured - more accidental poisonings than any other chemical substance. During winter, when our houses are closed up to keep warm and appliances such as heaters and furnaces are operating, the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning increases dramatically. Known as the “Silent Killer”, carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, colorless toxic gas that is a by-product of combustion and is virtually impossible to detect. Any fuel-burning appliance or device can produce dangerous levels of this gas and must be maintained properly to avoid the build-up of this poison in your home.
- Fuel-fired furnaces (check for cracked furnace exchange)
- Gas water heaters (check for corroded or disconnected water heater flue)
- Fireplaces and wood stoves (check for dirty or clogged chimneys)
- Gas stoves (check for proper installation)
- Gas dryers (use outside ventilation)
- Any gas or kerosene appliance such as portable heaters
- Charcoal grills (don’t operate inside or in an enclosed area such as garage)
- Gas engines such as lawnmowers, blowers and other yard equipment
- Automobile exhaust (especially dangerous in an attached garage)
- Cigarette smoke
- Anywhere combustion takes place
Carbon monoxide, when inhaled, deprives your body of the oxygen it needs to survive. It does this by combining with the hemoglobin in your blood. Normally oxygen is transported by hemoglobin, but when carbon monoxide is present, it combines with the hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) instead of oxygen. This bond with carbon monoxide is 200 times stronger than the bond with oxygen, so it is difficult for your body to eliminate the CO buildup from your bloodstream. That is why carbon monoxide can cause poisoning slowly over a period of several hours, even in low concentrations.
The symptoms of CO poisoning are commonly mistaken for other illnesses such as the flu or a cold. Concentration levels of CO in your bloodstream can cause:
- 10% concentration - no apparent symptoms (heavy smokers can have as much as 9% COHb)
- 15% concentration - mild headache
- 25% concentration - nausea, serious headache (quick recovery after treatment with oxygen or fresh air)
- 30% concentration - intensified headaches, nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and respiration (potential for long-term effects, especially in infants, children, the elderly, victims of heart disease and pregnant women)
- 45% concentration - unconsciousness, possible collapse, convulsions, coma and eventually death.
- 50%+ concentration - death
CAUTION: Carbon monoxide especially affects unborn babies, infants, people with anemia or a history of heart or respiratory disease and pregnant women.
Take these simple steps:
- Make sure your fuel-burning appliances - oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves - are installed and working according to manufacturers’ instructions and local building codes.
- Have all of your fuel-burning appliances inspected and cleaned by a professional at the beginning of every heating season.
- Make certain that flues and chimneys are connected, unclogged and in good working condition.
- Have only a qualified technician install or convert fuel-burning equipment from one type to another.
- Never use ovens and gas ranges to heat your home.
- Never use a charcoal grill inside a home, cabin, recreational vehicle or camper - even in a fireplace.
- Never leave your car idling or a mower or blower running in a closed garage. Fumes can build up very quickly in the garage and living area of your home.
- Make sure your furnace has an adequate intake of outside air.
- Choose appliances that vent fumes to the outside whenever possible. If you cannot avoid using an unvented gas or kerosene space heater, follow the cautions that come with the device carefully.
- Use the proper fuel and keep doors to the rest of the house open when using gas or kerosene space heaters. Crack a window to ensure enough air for ventilation and proper burning of fuel. Never sleep in an enclosed space with gas or kerosene space heaters.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors with an audible alarm in your home and garage.
DON’T IGNORE SYMPTOMS, particularly if more than one person is feeling them. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing. Play it safe. If you DO experience symptoms that you think could be from CO poisoning:
- Get fresh air immediately. Open doors and windows, turn off fuel-burning appliances and leave the house.
- Go to an emergency room and tell the physician you suspect CO poisoning.
- Be prepared to answer the following questions for the physician:
- Do your symptoms occur only in the house?
- Do they disappear or decrease when you leave home and reappear when you return?
- Is anyone else in your household complaining of similar symptoms?
- Did everyone’s symptoms appear about the same time?
- Are you using any fuel-burning appliances in the home?
- Has anyone inspected your appliances lately? Are you certain they are working properly?
Carbon monoxide detectors can be used to help alert you of the presence of CO, but should not be used as a replacement for proper use and maintenance of your fuel-burning appliances. There are several types of detectors on the market. As the technology for these detectors is still developing, they are not considered as reliable as the smoke detectors you use in your home. Follow these guidelines when considering a carbon monoxide detector for your home:
- Never purchase a CO detector that is not UL (Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.) approved or does not have a long-term warranty.
- Many CO detectors tested performed well. Others failed to alarm at even high levels of CO and others alarmed at levels too low to be concerned about. Do not use a CO detector in place of proper maintenance and ventilation.
- Research features before buying.
- Make sure the detector you purchase is easily self-tested and reset to ensure proper functioning.
- Don’t select a detector based solely on cost.
- Make sure you have enough detectors to cover your entire house.
- Carefully follow manufacturers’ instructions for placement, use and maintenance.
- For maximum effectiveness during sleeping hours, place detectors as close to sleeping areas as possible.
If you have a CO detector and the alarm goes off:
- Make sure it is your CO detector and not your smoke detector.
- Check to see if any member of the household is experiencing symptoms of poisoning.
- If they are, get them out of the house immediately and seek medical attention. Tell the doctor that you suspect CO poisoning.
- If no one is feeling symptoms, ventilate the home with fresh air, turn off all potential sources of CO: your oil or gas furnace, gas water heater, gas range and oven, gas dryer, gas or kerosene space heater and any vehicle or small engine.
- Have a qualified technician inspect your fuel-burning appliances and chimneys to make sure they are operating correctly and that there is nothing blocking the fumes from being vented out of the house.
For a complete list of links to detailed information on carbon monoxide poisoning go to: http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/links/co.htm
Winter Tips for Your Houseplants:
- Water houseplants less since they grow more slowly on short, dark days. Too much water will kill them.
- Don’t fertilize them unless they are growing under artificial lights.
- Lining shelves or windowsills with aluminum foil reflects light and provides extra light for houseplants. Be sure there are no leaks that allow water to collect under the foil and damage sills.
Caring for houseplants while you’re away on vacation
- A week or so before your trip, turn the heat register off in a room with indirect light.
- Monitor room temperature with a thermometer placed on the floor.
- Check frequently to determine fluctuations of temperature. Ideally temperature should be between low-to-mid 50s during the day, falling into the upper 40s at night. At this range, your plants will survive without extra care for a few weeks.
- Water all plants the day before you leave, whether they need it or not. Let pots drain fully.
- Cover the floor of the room with newspapers and plastic and place all your plants together in the room.
- Open curtains, drapes or blinds to allow optimum light to enter the room. Make sure plants aren’t in drafts.
- You can also use self-watering wicks available in most plant stores for watering.
- If you don’t have a room for the plants, try leaving them in the bathtub. After soaking them good, cover them with a sheet of plastic and they’ll survive for 2 weeks or longer.
- Shut off the heater vent in the bathroom so the room will remain cool and the heat won’t dry the plants out.
Keeping Your Winter Plants Safe
Here are a few tips for keeping your outdoor plants safe during cold weather.
- Don’t worry about a light, freshly fallen snow. It’s an excellent insulator if frigid weather follows.
- Smaller, younger plants have a harder time surviving the cold than larger plants. Be sure and protect these during frigid weather.
- If you have plants that have been attacked by insects or diseases, pay special attention to them during the winter.
- De-icing salts can be toxic to many flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses. Be careful when de-icing the sidewalk and driveway not to get the substance too near plants or grasses.
Protecting your Floors from Ice Melt Compounds
No matter how hard you try, some of that ice melt compound that’s on the bottom of your shoes is going to make it inside. The residue is unsightly on hard surface floors. On carpets, you may not see it, but the damage can be even worse. The most commonly used compound is calcium chloride in small white pellet form. It has two characteristics that are very relevant - it’s alkaline and it loves water. Calcium chloride pulls moisture from the air and leaves a moist, oily film on carpets and hard surface floors. It can also cause the slip resistance of hard surface floors to be compromised.
- Use doormats or runners at all entrance and exit areas to capture as much of the residue as possible.
- Vacuum the mats often and clean using the wet extraction method.
- Keep one or two replacement sets of mats for the winter season.
- Clean carpets by vacuuming at least three times a day.
- Clean carpets by wet extraction after each snowstorm or after each use of ice melt compound.
- To clean the oily residue from hard surface floors, use water or FloorStar Light Duty Cleaner at 1/2 ounce per gallon. DO NOT wet mop, as the mop itself can become contaminated with significant amounts of residue and spread to the rest of your floors.
- For professional cleaning, call 1-800 WE SERVE.
Winterizing your Window Air Conditioners
If you haven’t winterized your window-unit air-conditioners, now’s the time. Follow these simple steps:
- If you leave the unit in the window, wrap it with plastic and seal it with duct tape.
- You can buy covers for some models, if you prefer.
- Remember to close all the vents.
- If you take the appliance out of the window, be careful not to bend or damage the cooling fins on the back.
- Do not store an air-conditioner on a garage floor where it might come in contact with corrosive deicing salts that can drip off car tires.
Improving Energy Efficiency in Your Home - Part One
Want to know a few ways to improve the energy efficiency in your home? Try these tips.
- Install ceiling insulation.
- Keep curtains closed to prevent heat loss.
- Close off unheated areas.
- Don’t overheat your room; increasing the thermostat setting by 1 degree can increase costs by 3 percent.
- Clean the heating filter regularly.
- Wear warm enough clothing to help cut heating costs.
- Choose energy-efficient appliances when making new purchases.
- Turn off appliances when not in use.
- Keep heaters free of dust and fluff around the fan and reflective surfaces.
- Use compact, high-efficiency fluorescent lighting in areas where this is appropriate. It can save you up to 80 percent in costs.
We’ll be providing energy efficiency tips throughout the year, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often.
Winterizing Your House — Is it Too Tightly Shut Up?
When Is a House Too Tight?
When your house is air-tight, that’s good from an energy-use point of view. But if the house is too air-tight, it can cause indoor air quality problems. There are lots of different factors to consider when trying to determine if you have proper ventilation in your home. You should take into account your climate (humid or dry), the number of occupants in the house and the number of stories in the house. We’ve provided some simple tips here that will help you maintain good air quality in your home. Call if you have questions about your Atlanta Homes
Posted on November 24th, 2007 by Dwayne
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