Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless gas. It is a common by-product of incomplete combustion, produced when fossil fuels (like oil, gas or coal) burn. Because you can't see, taste or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it's there. Exposure to lower levels over time can make you sick. CO robs you of what you need most-- oxygen, which is carried to your cells and tissue by the hemoglobin in your blood. Carbon monoxide enters your body by breathing it in through your lungs. It binds with the hemoglobin (the part of your blood that carries oxygen to the cells) at a much higher rate than oxygen. If you inhale even small amounts of CO, it quickly bonds with hemoglobin and displaces oxygen. This produces a toxic compound in your blood called carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). COHb produces flu-like symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, confusion, and irritability. Since symptoms are similar to the flu, carbon monoxide poisoning can be misdiagnosed. If you suspect you have some of the above symptoms, look at other factors as well:

 

 

If you think you are being exposed to CO, you can request a carboxyhemoglobin blood test from your physician. As levels of COHb rise, victims suffer vomiting, loss of consciousness, and eventually brain damage or death.

 

Where does CO come from?

 

When appliances and vents work properly, and there is enough fresh air in your home to allow complete combustion, the trace amounts of CO produce are typically not dangerous. Normally, CO is safely vented outside your home. Problems arise when something goes wrong. An appliance can malfunction; a furnace heat exchanger can crack; vents can clog, or debris may block a chimney or flue. Fireplaces, wood burning stoves, charcoal grills, or gas logs can produce unsafe levels of CO if they are unvented or not properly vented. Exhaust can seep into the home from vehicles left running in an attached garage. All these sources can contribute to a CO problem in the home. In some cases, problems arise even if appliances are working properly. The following conditions are dangerous because they can trap exhaust in your home, and are hard to recreate during a CO investigation.

 

 

 

 

How to protect against poisoning?

 

Installation of CO alarms in the home is a huge step forward. Also, having your appliances checked on a regular basis will help protect against poisonings. (CO detectors)

 

CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS

 

With the availability of smoke detectors in the early 1970s, residential fire death rates dropped dramatically. We are currently focusing on a less widely known but no less tragic danger in our homes. Fire is easily detectable. You can see the smoke and flames. You can feel the heat. You can hear it crackling and burning. It is very dynamic in its process of combustion. Most fire deaths occur at night, when people are asleep and do not have a working smoke detector. The major cause of death in fires is not from burns but from smoke inhalation. The major component of smoke that kills is carbon monoxide (CO). This does not mean that we are advising you to use a carbon monoxide (CO) detector in place of a smoke detector. By the time a CO detector would go off in a house fire, it may be too late. A smoke detector will give the occupants warning much sooner. What we are trying to detect is the toxic, clear, colorless, odorless carbon monoxide being produced by other sources.

 

It has just been fairly recently that technology has evolved to allow us to detect carbon monoxide in our homes at a reasonable cost. There are several brands of CO detectors on the market and more will probably be developed. They all have varying installation, use and sensing capabilities. The similarity is such that, when it detects CO at a pre-set level, it will go into an alarm mode, setting off an alerting device. Be certain to follow the manufacturer's installation, use and maintenance instructions. Like smoke detectors, CO detectors will not work without power. Some CO detectors are powered by the AC current in your home wiring. If the power is out in your home, they will not work. Other CO detectors are battery powered. You must be certain to replace the battery regularly, according to the manufacturer's instructions. CO detectors, like smoke detectors, also have a test button to make sure the unit is working. When selecting a CO detector, be sure it has been rated by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) seal of approval.

 

Installation - It is recommended by the Consumer Products Safety Commission that you install the CO detector near your sleeping areas. If you are deep in sleep, the sound will be loudest there to wake you. Carbon monoxide has about the same weight as air. It will mix readily in the air. Unlike the lighter hot smoke and gasses produced by a fire, CO will not necessarily rise, therefore the CO detector does not have to be installed as high as possible. There are some CO detectors that even plug directly into a wall socket.  DO NOT locate your CO detector in garages, kitchens, furnace rooms, or in any extremely dusty, dirty, humid, or greasy areas. Do not place units in direct sunlight, or areas subjected to temperature extremes. These include unconditioned crawl spaces, unfinished attics, uninsulated or poorly insulated ceilings, and porches. CO detectors should not be located in outlets covered by curtains or other obstructions. Do not place in turbulent air-near ceiling fans, heat vents, air conditioners, fresh air returns, or open windows. Blowing air may prevent CO from reaching the CO sensors.

 

Testing and Maintenance - Clean the CO alarm regularly. Keep it free of grease, soot, and debris by vacuuming it gently. Never spray cleaning chemicals on or near the alarm. Test the alarm regularly.

 

Battery vs. AC Current-Powered Detectors - Battery powered alarms are ideal for areas where outlets are not handy, or already in use. These alarms keep on working if the electricity fails. They can be mounted on the wall or ceiling, out of the reach of children or pets. Plug-in alarms are easy to install- they plug directly into a standard electrical outlet, and don't need to be mounted on the ceiling or wall. Most plug-in detectors can't work if the electricity fails, so homeowners should consider installing a combination of plug-in and battery powered CO alarms throughout their home. CO weighs about the same as air, and distributes evenly throughout a room. A CO alarm will be effective if it's on the ceiling, near the baseboard, or anywhere in between.

 

Digital Display -The CO alarm with Digital Display displays elevated levels of carbon monoxide in parts per million, and stores the highest CO level recorded in its memory. The digital display allows the homeowner to have an accurate reading on the level of CO in the home.

 

Levels of Concentration - Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) standards for residential CO detectors require that they set off their alarm at a CO level of 100 parts per million (PPM) for a period of 90 minutes. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set acceptable industrial limits of 35 PPM in an eight (8) hour period. At a level of 400 PPM, a person would suffer frontal headache and nausea after one to two hours. At 800 PPM, headache, dizziness and nausea occur in about 45 minutes. Collapse and death could occur in about two hours. At 3200 PPM, the same effects could occur in five to 10 minutes, death in about 30 minutes. Any concentrations above 6400 PPM can cause death to occur in just a few minutes. For reference, 10,000 PPM is equivalent to 1% concentration by volume.As with all the other safety features with which we equip our homes; deadbolts, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, burglar alarms, big dogs, etc., a CO detector is another part of the arsenal we all should have to survive in this modern world.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE CO IN YOUR HOME

 

If you suspect you have an exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) in your home, whether a CO detector has sounded or if you believe you are suffering from the medical symptoms associated with it, you need to find out the cause of the problem.

 

If you are alerted by a CO detector, it may or may not be a false alarm. Try to look at the "big" picture. The detectors will sound at a low enough level that is not immediately dangerous but of sufficient concentration that it could be harmful over a long enough period of time. Ask yourself some questions: 1. If the alarm has gone off, are there any medical symptoms to go with it? 2. Could there be an obvious cause of CO being produced, e.g., flammable fuel, space heater, car or other engine running, wind blowing smoke back down the fireplace flue, etc.? If you are unsure, call 911. As with an escape plan for a fire, you should evacuate the house, account for everyone and call from a neighbor's house. Fire departments have the resources to measure the amount of carbon monoxide in the air in your home. This will identify the immediate danger. However, the fire personnel cannot always fix the problem. It may be a complex situation beyond their expertise. A professional should be called in those cases. The fire department will be able to advise you on the proper course of action. If you do not have a CO detector and you and others in the same building experience the mild medical problems described above, it would be wise to have a medical evaluation. If you experience more serious symptoms, it requires immediate measures, including evacuation and calling 911.

 

The old saying goes, "To be forewarned is to be forearmed." Likewise, with the invisible dangers of carbon monoxide.