Carbon Monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer because it is a colorless, odorless gas and often people don’t realize they are being poisoned. Take the time to have all of your heating appliances checked this winter by a trained service technician for any leaks, blockages or complications that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. A faulty furnace, blocked chimney, fuel-burning heater or portable generator exhaust can result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Take the following precautions to potentially protect your loved ones from harm:
- Install a carbon monoxide detector outside the bedroom area on each level of your home. Be sure your alarms have a battery backup.
- Carbon monoxide weighs the same as air so detectors should be installed in the middle of the wall or in an area with good circulation.
- Change the batteries annually.
- Carbon monoxide detectors lose their sensitivity generally after five years. Check the back of your detector for the manufacture date to learn when to replace your detector.
- Be aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as dizziness, headache, nausea, fatigue and irregular breathing. Remember that oftentimes people have no symptoms.
- Never use a portable generator inside your home, garage, shed, or similar area. Carbon monoxide can build up within minutes when a generator is used in a confined or partially enclosed space.
- Check the exhaust pipe on your vehicle to be sure it is free from snow. Snowdrifts can also obstruct the exhaust on your vehicle. If your exhaust pipe is blocked, carbon monoxide can enter your vehicle.
- Never use an oven or gas range for heating.
- If you feel your have a CO leak or have any concerns about possible CO poisoning, go outside immediately, and then call 911
Help spread the word about Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Let others know about the signs of CO poisoning, symptoms and how to prevent it! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is sponsoring a nationwide carbon monoxide safety poster contest for Middle School Students to help warn people about the dangers of CO. Create a poster about the dangers of carbon monoxide. Your child can save lives and win money at the same time. For more information about this program and for additional safety programs, safety alerts and recalls go to www.thesafetycouncil.org. Pass it on and save a life!
Low level CO detectors (carbon Monoxide) sense CO levels as low as 5 ppm (parts per million). LOW LEVEL CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS let you know if there is a CO problem before reaching dangerous, even deadly CO levels. This is long before your other detectors even begin to work.
• Why do I need a low-level monitor?
Low level CO detectors (carbon Monoxide) senses CO levels as low as 5 ppm (parts per million). Infants, children, and elderly persons with respiratory or heart ailments are provided little or no protection from deadly CO with the older model standard alarms. Did you know that low-level CO above 10 ppm causes illness?
• What about the other “detectors” sold at retailers?
Store-bought detectors do not go off until the home reaches unsafe levels of 70 ppm or higher. At that high level, it may be too late. Many of the plug-in detectors do not always allow for proper placement and may not work during power outages.
• Why are these units more expensive?
Low-level CO detection requires more high tech parts. The low level carbon monoxide detector uses the same technology and sensors as the $500 to $2,500 combustion analyzers use.
• How many detectors should I have in my home?
You should have one monitor installed on every level of your home. Single story homes should have one detector on each end of the home
• Children at Risk
Babies and little children are especially vulnerable because they have a lower body mass and so are prone to absorb proportionately more of any poisonous substance. The symptoms of low-level carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, dizziness and lethargy but will get more dangerous as the CO levels builds up in the person’s body. Many of these can be confused with a cold by any health professional or attentive adult. In addition, as every parent or doctor will know, even getting this much information about how a baby or toddler is feeling can be very difficult because they cannot speak to you. These problems in diagnosing carbon monoxide poisoning as soon as possible make a low-level carbon monoxide detector particularly valuable in identifying the presence of this gas, especially in a child’s sleeping area.
• Where should I place the low level carbon monoxide detector?
CO is lighter than the air we breathe. In other words, CO will rise. Monitors should be mounted at breathing level and no lower. They should be placed in an area with good air circulation. If you have only one monitor, it should be placed near the master bedroom. We also recommended one in the basement, one in the mechanical room and one in any room that has a combustion appliance.
What should I do if my carbon monoxide detector goes off?
Get out of you home. Call the fire department, 911, police station, or other local certified authority.