Saturday, March 11, 2017

CO News March 11, 2017 posts updated frequently

Every day is a carbon monoxide safety education day.
Scroll back in time through our archives for previous CO News links.
We can learn from others mistakes and efforts to prevent poisoning.
Carbon monoxide safety, we are all in this together.


“Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent.” Virginia Woolf (1882-1941, bio link)


Daily News Links Are Below These Opening Questions And Warnings
How much carbon monoxide are you in when in any motor vehicle?

Did you know that many people do not measure the air they live in?
After prevention there is no greater awareness than measurement.
 
Awareness leads to quick thinking. Measurement leads to quick action.

Are you in the know?
Do I know enough about carbon monoxide and carbon monoxide poisoning to justify never knowing how much is in the air I breathe every day, everywhere I go?”

There are some people who want to be notified of the presence of carbon monoxide at levels or concentrations as soon as the gas is present, at concentrations well below those that can instigate poor health symptoms but not be high enough levels to sound the CO alarm they own. 

There are some people who do not want to push a button on their CO alarm to see what low, aggravating levels of the poison might be in their home, or anywhere. 

The most recommended CO Alarm in U.S. is a high level alarm
Standard for Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms 
UL 2034
1.3 Carbon monoxide alarms covered by this standard are not intended to alarm when exposed to long-term, low-level carbon monoxide exposures or slightly higher short-term transient carbon monoxide exposures, possibly caused by air pollution and/or properly installed/maintained fuel-fired appliances and fireplaces… 


Featured News Links – More news links below

Deaths in Alaska becomes the alarm to buy CO alarms
Carbon monoxide detectors hard to find in Anchorage after series of tragedies
Alaska Dispatch News
Stores across Anchorage have reported shortages of carbon monoxide detectors this week following a Spenard apartment fire that killed three people and two Anchorage and Mat-Su CO incidents — one of them fatal — in the space of a month… Shelves where CO detectors would usually be stocked were barren at..

Carbon monoxide sickens two at Palmyra plant
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Two workers at a packaging plant in Palmyra were sickened Friday by carbon monoxide fumes from a propane-powered forklift, fire department officials said…

Homeowner: Car left running in garage for nearly 12 hours
WANE
Gurmail Ram said he left his truck running in the garage for nearly 12 hours. It all began when he decided to put air in the tires, Thursday night. Ram said he forgot to turn off the car after he was finished. Ram and his wife continued their evening– having dinner and going to bed– not knowing carbon monoxide was seeping into their home… “Around 2:30 I heard some noise because [my wife] fell down in the bathroom,” said Ram. “I saw she fell on the sink.”…

Carbon monoxide sickens two firefighters during training session in Isabella County
The Morning Sun
Fremont Township Fire and Rescue was hosting a regularly-scheduled monthly training when the two men became ill, according to a press release from Fire Chief Larry Gott… “During the...training two fire fighters began to experience severe signs of carbon monoxide poisoning,” Gott wrote… Both firefighters were transported for emergency medical attention; one was later taken to Spectrum in Grand Rapids and the other taken to a different hospital for further treatment, according to the release…

Do you know how old your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are?
KIMT 3
Deputy Chief Vance Swisher says the “test” button may still work on older devices but that doesn’t mean that the sensing chambers within the devices are functioning… “What’s unfortunate is we’re finding a trend where either the homes do not have detectors or the detectors that are there are out of their service life and need to be replaced and don’t work appropriately,” he explains…

Safety professionals offer advice for Daylight Savings Time
Vallejo Times Herald
While most modern clocks automatically change to account for the practice, the batteries of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors do not, warn firefighters… According to the National Fire Protection Agency, two-thirds of home fire deaths are the result of non-functioning smoke alarms… Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Kevin Brown released a statement Friday suggesting homeowners use Daylight Savings Time as an opportunity to test their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors…

Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms When Moving Into a New Home
ConsumerReports.org
Over the past few years, more and more states have passed laws or regulations that require home sellers to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors before putting a house on the market. At last count, more than two-thirds of states had such requirements and required home inspections by fire officials to make sure the alarms are installed correctly and in working order… This is an advantage for the buyer, but if you’re the seller, you may balk at the cost of buying and installing a number of detectors all at once…

Scroll Down For More of Today's CO & Air Quality News Links

Please, stop diagnostic errors; start testing for carboxyhemoglobin
Carbon Monoxide Intoxication
Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience
Carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication is one of the main causes of poisoning in industrialized countries and it often leads to diagnostic errors… 

Carbon monoxide intoxication.
nih.gov
However individuals with ischemic heart disease may experience chest pain and decreased exercise duration at COHb levels between 1% and 9%. COHb levels between 30% and 70% lead to loss of consciousness and eventually death… 

Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips
National Fire Protection Association… If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel….

NOTE: Listed U.L. 2034 & CSA 6.19 Carbon Monoxide Alarms 
VISUAL DISPLAY:
Must not display under 30PPM in normal operation
AT 70, 150 & 400 PPM display must be accurate within plus or minus 30 Percent 

SENSITIVITY TESTING: Resist alarming first times shown, must by second shown time
70PPM [PLUS OR MINUS 5PPM ... [BETWEEN 60 _ 240 MINUTES]
150PPM [PLUS OR MINUS 5PPM] ... [10 - 50 MINUTES]
400PPM [PLUS OR MINUS 10PPM ... [4 _ 15 MINUTES]

“CITIZENS WILL CONTINUE TO DIE & BECOME SERIOUSLY ILL DAILY!” George Kerr - CO Experts 
More news links below –

We have all been CO poisoned, some more than others
The following link takes you to a site with views from those who have been poisoned. The seriousness of carbon monoxide poisoning, the grief, suffering and disorientations experienced are clearly portrayed with the intent to help others and prevent future poisonings. With respect, please visit: 

What is in the air you are breathing right now?
What will you be doing today; walking into poison?
Who will be responsible for the air you breathe?
You may be the only person who can prevent your own poisoning. 

We are all vulnerable to carbon monoxide exposure and poisoning.
Everyone has been poisoned by CO and will be poisoned again. The degree of the poisoning depends upon allowing yourself to be in a situation where someone else controls the air you breathe and the mechanisms for alarming notification.

Please read the alarm information on the package and in the instructions that come with the carbon monoxide alarm. Know that if it is a U.L. 2034 Listed product (or CSA 6.19 Listed), it is a high level alarm that has been tested to alarm no sooner than 70 PPM at the lowest (the alarm must resist for one hour when above this level) and when over 400 PPM before 15 minutes at the highest concentration, after resisting alarming for 4 minutes when over this level.

Know when your fire department and emergency responders begin wearing their breathing apparatus and what their civilian evacuation levels are for carbon monoxide; it may be as soon as the gas is present in your presence. Pregnant women, infants & children, people with heart & respiratory struggles, those suffering depression or chronic headaches and all people of vulnerable health should be alerted as soon as the gas begins to concentrate, around 10 PPM (parts per million) or lower.

You most likely need a low level carbon monoxide detector to sound off when carbon monoxide hazards are just beginning, not after you’ve been exposed to levels that make you have headaches, flu-like symptoms, increased tiredness, heart stresses or worse.

Do not take risks with carbon monoxide. Take responsibility for the air you breathe and the combustion systems you are responsible for. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for others, unless you think $45.00, high level protection is good enough.

Help prevent injuries and deaths; don’t guess about carbon monoxide. Measure carbon monoxide for safety and knowledge. The more you test the more you learn. 
GET BUSY
Measurement is continuing education at its best. Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety

CO and Air Quality News Links

Despite gains, Toronto's air pollution still causing serious health problems
Toronto Star
“Someone told me ‘You’ve got to let him be a kid,’ ” she said. “I said ‘Sure I do, but you come with us to the hospital at 2 a.m. when he can’t breathe and is purple.” … Major strides have been made in reducing pollution in the Greater Toronto Area, thanks in large part to changes in Ontario’s energy policies… But Toronto Public Health says that levels of major pollutants in the air have become stagnant after years of decline, and air pollution is still a serious cause of illness in the city…

PennDOT investigated suspected issue at Rockview DMV for more than a month
Centre Daily Times
PLEASANT GAP - The DMV facility closed without warning Thursday… The answer has something to do with air quality and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning in the building, said Alexis Campbell, PennDOT community relations coordinator… “Rather than potentially put customers, our employees and others in harm’s way we closed the site. It is about being safe, and this seemed like the best and safest option.”

BYU economics professor tackles air pollution controversies
Universe.byu.edu 
The speaker for this year’s lecture was economics professor C. Arden Pope III, who named his lecture “Air pollution and Health: Top 10 Scientific and Public Policy Controversies.”… The cause of many pollution-related problems are related to people breathing in “PM 2.5,” or fine particles. Those particles then become lodged in the arteries, according to Pope… Some of these health problems include deaths associated with respiratory and cardiovascular issues, hospitalizations and school absences due to illness… the costs to cleaning up the air quality were greatly outweighed by its benefits… He concluded his lecture with research showing how clean air contributes to “economic prosperity, human well-being and improved public health.”

US Energy Information Administration
Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government...

Sit and rest a while; miss the children, prevent repeating this tragedy. 
Corfu carbon monoxide deaths: Memorial unveiled in Horbury 
BBC News 
A memorial bench to two young children who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu has been unveiled in West Yorkshire…

To all parents everywhere; grief's pain alerts others
Out of tragedy comes the light of love 
Chester County Press 
Inside, Carly and Daulton had passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas tank was empty and the ignition was still on. Fumes from the exhaust had been drawn into the car through the air vents… “One of the best things for me is to talk to parents who have also lost a child,” Donna said.

How to use a Fire Extinguisher
VideoNex
In this informative and succinct video, learn how to identify and appropriately execute the use of a CO2 Fire Extinguisher…

Cdc Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
New Movie Release 2015
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Public domain video from CDC. Carbon monoxide (sometimes referred to as CO) is a colorless, odorless gas produced ... 

CO EXperts
Johnson County Kansas - Continuing Education – – Video Link


A well put together video is found with the next link, but remember U.L. 2034 Listed CO Alarms are high level alarms. Use them for protection against accute levels, but be aware you can still experience symptoms of the poisoning even though the devices are in place.
About Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
DailyMotion
About Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 

JEMS.com - ...site has been designed with this in mind – to create a visual, interactive, educational resource which can hopefully end incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning and save lives… For more information, please visit - www.thesilentkiller.co.uk 

Who is responsible for the air you breathe? 
Take control inside your homes. 
-Link to:  CO alarm standards  

The lowest U.L. 2034 & CSA 6.19 carbon monoxide alarm test point is: 
- 70 PPM to 149 PPM –resist one hour, must alarm before 4 hours 
Please read the alarm information on the package and in the instructions. Know when your fire department and emergency responders begin wearing their breathing apparatus and what their civilian evacuation levels are for carbon monoxide; it may be before 70 PPM. It is for pregnant women, infants & children, the elderly and all people of vulnerable health. Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety 


Consider low level protection for carbon monoxide and smoldering fire detection problems; don't leave anyone behind. CO Experts


These following links may be of some use to you: 
U.S. Drought Monitor
- Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive
- Current Data for Atmospheric CO2
- Federal Aviation Administration CO warning
- Carbon monoxide toxicity-Emergency Medicine Ireland
- Carbon Monoxide Survivor- Views from those who have been poisoned.
- Carbon Monoxide detection- National Fire Protection Association

· Please take CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY CARE during all holiday and everyday activities.

National Conference of State Legislatures 
Carbon Monoxide Detectors State Statutes 

Twenty-Nine U.S. states have statutes that require carbon monoxide detectors in certain residential buildings. Updated Nov. 2014
Alaska | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida |
Georgia | Illinois | Maine | Maryland | MassachusettsMichigan |
Minnesota | Montana | New Jersey | New Hampshire | New York | 
  
Red Cross - Disaster Relief to safely assist law enforcement, fire department, utility company, city, county and state authorities as repair and rebuilding moves forward. Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety

Nationally, the Red Cross provides food and shelter to people affected by as many as 70,000 fires annually, or about one fire every eight minutes.

The following companies are acknowledged for their continued support of carbon monoxide safety education and this daily news blog. They may just have what you are looking for. 
Fieldpiece Instruments 
The Energy Conservatory 

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