Thursday, December 5, 2019

Carbon Monoxide News December 5, 2019, 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, now!

And all the winds go sighing, for sweet things dying.
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894, 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 breathe?

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…

Bob Dwyer
Carbon Monoxide Safety Association

COSA provides Carbon Monoxide safety education and training.

World Wide Reports - Pollution and Health Effects 
Carbon Monoxide News Links –
More news links below (International Spelling; no edits)

1 hospitalized, nearly 200 evacuated after carbon monoxide threat at Dinkytown apartment
KSTP
Firefighters said they found a machine running in the basement, which was emitting carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide filled a stairwell, then spread throughout other areas of the building. - The Chateau Student Housing Co-op in Dinkytown consists mostly of student housing. Roughly 200 people were evacuated around 11 p.m. Wednesday. - Firefighters said they went door to door to make sure no one was inside the building as they investigated. - "We were scared; at first, they told us we didn't need to evacuate, but then they said there was carbon monoxide," Sydney Walsh, a tenant in the building, said. "We were like, maybe we should, but then they came back and told us they actually do need to evacuate." (More)

NBC10 Boston
The incident took place at the sprawling Shetland Park complex on Congress Street. Authorities said one person became unconscious, prompting a call to first responders who evacuated the entire fourth floor. - "The fourth floor has been totally evacuated. The rest of the building remains," Salem Fire Lt. Peter Schaeublin said. "There were no readings on the other floors." (More, video)

Chinese city to investigate after six people die from carbon monoxide poisoning after burning 'clean coal'
South China Morning Post
Among the victims was a 13-year-old girl who was found unconscious in her home in Tangshan, Hebei province, by her father on October 31, radio station The Voice of China reported on Tuesday. - The man said he had lit a fire using clean coal – which is supposed to have a low sulphur content – in his daughter’s bedroom before she went to bed. In the morning he found her lifeless and called for an ambulance, but the child later died in hospital. (More)

Carbon monoxide calls on the rise in Central Pennsylvania
WHP Harrisburg
“You may have it in your home and not know it,” said Chief Chad Deardorff with York Department of Fire/Rescue Services. - This warning comes one year after a York family was found unconscious in their home. - All five people inside were rushed to the hospital. Emergency crews blame the furnace for pumping carbon monoxide into the home. There was either a clog or crack in the ventilation line. - “I think there’s a lack of knowledge and a lack of respect is probably the best word for it to understand what it actually is and what it could do and the harm it could cause,” said Deardorff. (More)

Family feels lucky to be alive after suspected carbon monoxide poisoning early Saturday morning
CTV News
CALGARY - “This is extremely fortunate, given we’re not entirely sure how long the carbon monoxide may have been building up in the home,” said Stuart Brideaux, a Calgary EMS spokesperson. - The Calgary Fire Department began testing in the home, and determined that there was extremely high levels of carbon monoxide. - “Some as high as 1100 parts per million (ppm)," said Brideaux. "but even in other areas of the house in the high hundreds, 700-750 ppm. (More)

A lifesaver — Carbon monoxide detector from police giveaway saves a recipient
Wooster Daily Record
WOOSTER — The loud beeping jolted Danyelle Swain awake. - Swain woke up her 8-year-old daughter who was sleeping next to her and called 911. When the Wooster Fire Department arrived, firefighters found the level of carbon monoxide in the basement of the multi-family home on West Larwill Street to be 1,000 parts per million. (More)

Carbon monoxide poisoning aboard Steveston boat sends three to hospital
Vancouver Courier
The Richmond News understands that the three were aboard a vessel moored at Imperial Landing when the call was made to emergency services. - According to a spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services, a call was made at 4:12pm for carbon monoxide poisoning and four ambulances were dispatched. (More)

March 23-25, 2020 - South Point Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
This conference provides you a rare chance to participate in an event created specifically for HVACR instructors. (More, click in)

Please  Note: "Place a carbon monoxide alarm with a digital display on a seat in the motor vehicle when you are out driving in emergency snow conditions (or always for that specific). Harmful levels of carbon monoxide (CO) can penetrate inside a motor vehicle just due to prevailing winds and exhaust not moving away from the vehicle but under it. If you want to learn more about carbon monoxide, begin measuring it with a personal CO monitor everywhere you go." Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety
  
Scroll Down For More of Today's CO & Air Quality News Links 
Please, stop diagnostic errors; start testing for carboxyhemoglobin
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Video - Propane (LPG) tanks of any size can violently compound a structure fire – KEEP THEM OUTSIDE
BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) Demonstration - How it Happens Training Video--------

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 (1933-2017)

More news links below –

We have all been CO poisoned, some more than others
We have all inhaled carbon monoxide. We are a world of fire users.

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
"Love Song To The Earth" - Official Lyric Video

CO, Air Quality & Pollution News Links

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Portable Generators Proves Predictable, And Deadly
NPR
The timing was just a coincidence. After losing power in a summer storm, Michelle Seifer came down with flu-like symptoms. - It wasn't until two days later, when a carbon monoxide detector activated and a utility company worker tested levels in her home, that she learned she was being poisoned by the portable generator she had been running in her open garage. - "That's when I went to the hospital and learned that my levels were high enough where they needed to admit me," said Seifer, a finance manager and mother of five in Hartland, Mich. (More)

Officials: keep vents and meters around your home clear of snow
WESTERNMASSNEWS.com
AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - "Between the snowfall itself, drifting from the wind, it’s sliding off the roof, or you’re snow blowing or plowing, it’s easy to build it up against the side of a house," said Amherst Assistant Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren. - People across western Massachusetts have found themselves digging out for days, shoveling mounds of snow and trying to clear a clean path to travel safely, but as you pile up the heavy, wet snow around your property, there are several areas you don't want to put it. - "Vents on the outside of your house for gas, furnaces, hot water heaters," Stromgren explained. - Stromgren said blocked vents are extremely dangerous and can lead to deadly situations. (More)

Health Bytes: 5 carbon monoxide safety tips
Crow River Media
Along with the cold temperatures, snow and ice, winter also brings unpredictable dangers, including the threat of carbon monoxide, or CO, poisoning. (More, a good five tips)

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.
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 ...
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 acute levels, but be aware you can still experience symptoms of the poisoning even though the devices are in place.

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

Tribute
George Kerr, a pioneer in smoke and carbon monoxide alarm manufacturing passed away in his home during the early morning of July 4, 2017. George will always be remembered for his passion to save lives and protect the health of people through low level carbon monoxide detection and alarming. He lived for over 84 years, beginning his career in fire safety in 1953. “We’ll never know how many lives we’re saving, but I know we are saving a few.” George E. Kerr (1933-2017)

These following links may be of some use to you:
- The World Clock - Time Zones







- 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.
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U.S. Carbon Monoxide Laws for each state
National Conference of State Legislatures
As of March 2018, a majority of states have enacted statutes regarding carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, and another 11 have promulgated regulations on CO detectors. Alaska requires detectors approved by the state fire marshal be installed in all dwellings. Connecticut requires them in all new construction, as does New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. Florida also requires them in new construction, and in every room with a boiler. Minnesota passed a law requiring detectors in motor boats.

CO Detectors in U.S. Homes
27 states and the District of Columbia require carbon monoxide detectors in private dwellings via state statute: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (via adoption of the International Residential Code), Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Certain states limit the installation to buildings with fossil-fuel burning devices, others only require the device be installed upon the sale of the property or unit.

Another 11 states require carbon monoxide detectors in private dwellings regulatorily through the adoption of the International Residential Code or via an amendment to their state’s building code: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming.

CO Detectors in U.S. Schools
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine and Maryland require carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in school buildings.

CO Detectors in U.S. Hotels and Motels
Fourteen states require the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in hotels and motels under the statute. - Three of those states (New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin) have complementary administrative regulations. - Two states (Kansas and Washington) have requirements through administrative regulations alone.
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Ontario Canada Carbon Monoxide Alarm Legislation
Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services
Hawkins-Gignac Act
Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997
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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.

The Energy Conservatory
Masimo - see RAD 57
Mahugh Fire & Safety
ESCO Institute
TPI - Test Products International
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