| |
|
July Links
General Info
Member Info
|
|  |
From Mensagenda - March 2002
To the Editor:
Dave Norman
Paul Jensen’s account in the
February issue of Mensagenda of the problem at his home with carbon
monoxide was a sobering reminder to not take the proper functioning of
everyday things for granted. One thing conspicuously
not mentioned in his otherwise well-written article was the importance of
having one or more carbon monoxide detectors in the home. A detector
with a digital readout probably would have given him a clue that something
was wrong well before the concentration of carbon monoxide reached levels
that undermined the health of Paul and his son.
One Web site that I visited estimates that carbon
monoxide kills 1,500 people and makes another 10,000 sick each year.
As Paul’s experience demonstrates, it’s not easy for doctors to recognize
that carbon monoxide poisoning is the cause of a person’s health problems,
so it may be under-diagnosed.
I’ve had a detector for several years now. I
live in an older house and the furnace is probably somewhat beyond its
expected lifespan, but as long as the detector reads zero, I can sleep more
soundly. At least the current furnace is better than the one it
replaced, an old “octopus” furnace, originally coal-fired, but later
converted by sticking an oil burner into it. I remember my parents
used to rub a doughy substance on the wallpaper every year or so to clean
it, strongly suggesting that there was significant leakage between the
combustion chamber and the portion of the furnace that the household air
circulated through.
Of course, faulty furnaces aren’t the only possible
source of carbon monoxide in a home or commercial building. Water
heaters, stoves, fireplaces, gas dryers, and heaters (either unvented or
with faulty vents) are some other possibilities. I remember about 25
years ago when there was a fad of using unvented kerosene-fueled portable
room heaters — they kept you cozy, but were potentially dangerous.
Don’t burn charcoal indoors. Carbon monoxide fumes can seep into a
house from an attached garage, so don’t let a car idle in the garage, even
with the door open. Beware of small engines, too, such as portable
generators, lawn mowers, snowblowers, etc.
Detectors are inexpensive and don’t require any
technical knowledge to install. Battery-operated ones are available
for places where no electrical outlet is available, such as fish houses,
cabins, etc. Get a detector and then remember to check it from time to
time.
|
|
