4 WAYS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING IN YOUR
HOME
Homes with unvented kerosene or gas heaters, leaking chimneys and furnaces, and gas stoves are all at risk of carbon monoxide exposure. Low concentration of carbon monoxide can cause fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in those with heart disease. Higher exposures can cause impaired vision and coordination, dizziness, nausea, and death.
Here are several ways you can reduce the risk of carbon monoxide exposure in your home:
1) If possible, install a vented gas furnace and space heaters.
2) Have a trained professional inspect and clean your central heating system once a year.
3) If you have a gas stove, install an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors.
4) Don’t use charcoal indoors because it produces deadly amounts of CO (carbon monoxide).
A new device recently approved by Underwriters Laboratories is designed to prevent death from carbon monoxide poisoning. The new device resembles a smoke detector and is supposed to sound an alarm if the carbon monoxide in the air nears a dangerous level.
Records indicate that most of the 230 cases of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning reported each year are due to faulty appliances or damaged chimneys and vents. Others result from automobile exhaust in houses that have attached garages.
The new carbon monoxide detectors can operate on batteries or they can be plugged into a household electric outlet. Their sensors, unlike those in smoke detectors, must be replaced every 3 to 5 years, and cost from $15 to $20. The detectors themselves sell for $50 to $70.
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Categories: General health | Tags: General health
