Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas which is produced when fuels are burned in trucks and cars, grills, fireplaces, water heaters and boilers, stoves, small engines, etc. In case the gas builds up indoors in a high concentration, it can poison the occupants of the room when they breathe the air.
Some of the most common symptoms of CO poisoning include nausea, lethargy, weakness or dizziness, stomach upset, chest pain, headache, vomiting, anxiety and depression, etc. In the most extreme of cases, CO poisoning can lead to death. People who are drunk or are sleeping are at the most risk of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. According to estimates, 400 Americans die every year by accidental CO poisoning. Emergency rooms receive 20,000 CO poisoning cases each year.
Everybody is at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning, but it can be especially fatal for elderly people with conditions such as breathing difficulties, anemia, heart disease, etc. Infants, likewise, are at high risk of suffering severely from CO poisoning.
How to prevent CO poisoning indoors?
There are some measures that you can take to keep emission of CO inside your home to a minimum and stave the risk of CO poisoning to the occupants of home. These are:
• The first thing you can do is to install a CO detector at your home. These are battery operated devices and you may need to check/replace it every six months to ensure proper functioning.
• Never use portable chemical heaters, gas range/oven for heating purposes or a generator inside your home. These appliances can build up CO very fast and can increase the risk of CO poisoning.
• When you buy your gas appliances, make sure that they are properly vented. This will prevent the risk of CO leaking indoors in case the pipes and joints develop a leakage. You must also make sure to buy your gas equipment which comes with national testing agency seals.
• Regularly perform checkups on fuel-burning appliances that you use inside your home.
CO poisoning can be fatal to your health. So, all homeowners must pay proper attention to this. For any assistance on the subject or for any other HVAC needs, please give us a call today.
