Thursday, January 23, 2020

Carbon Monoxide News January 23, 2020, 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!

Galileo was no idiot. Only an idiot could believe that science requires martyrdom - that may be necessary in religion, but in time a scientific result will establish itself.David Hilbert (1862-1943, 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, training and consultation.

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

Dangerous Heating Units
Over 100 evacuated, 9 hospitalized due to carbon monoxide leak at Hempstead apartments
News 12 Long Island
"Before I even hit the door, my meter was going off," says Kyle Boles, the assistant chief of the Hempstead Fire Department. "I found two residents in a back room passed out." (Video report)

Bismarck firefighters respond to apartment carbon monoxide alarm
Bismarck Tribune
Firefighters were called about 6:30 p.m. to a 60-unit apartment building on West Burleigh Avenue, according to the fire department. - The carbon monoxide level was elevated in the hallways but highest in the boiler room. - Occupants were told to stay in their units because the levels were lowest there, officials said. (More)

Carbon monoxide detector alerts resident of faulty furnace
WKOW
MADISON (WKOW) - An east-side resident wouldn’t have known there was a carbon monoxide problem brewing in his home if not for his alarm sounding when he stepped inside Tuesday evening. - They ultimately determined that the furnace needed repairs and would have to be shut down. - The homeowner had another place to stay for the night until the furnace can be repaired. (More)

Victims Found Unconscious
Minot residents hospitalized following carbon monoxide exposure
KFYR-TV
According to Hardy, Minot Fire investigators could not find a carbon monoxide detector in the home at the time of the incident. (More)

When it gets cold in Florida
Residents encouraged to take extra precautions when dealing with heating equipment
Ocala News (press release)
Half of home heating fires in the United States are reported during the months of December, January and February. - And with Floridians not being used to dealing with cold weather, officials say it’s particularly important to use extra caution when using heating equipment and fireplaces. - Some tips to keep in mind include: (More)

Fire displaces Plymouth family
The Laconia Daily Sun
“This could have been a much greater tragedy due to the fact that the unit of origin lacked any smoke or carbon monoxide alarms that would have provided the occupants with an early warning of the fire,” Morrison said. “There was also a delay in calling 911, which allowed the fire to get a head start.” - Morrison said the fire was caused by a lit candle that was too close to combustible materials. (More)

Snow Country Advice
Property owners: Don't forget to dig out gas lines and vents
Pipestone County Star
As the Fire Prevention Officer with the Pipestone Volunteer Fire Department, he also recognized an opportunity to remind others to clear snow away from vents on their homes. - Those vents for furnaces and propane fireplaces, for example, can be located on the side of the house or on the roof, in addition to the sewer vent on the roof. - If those vents aren’t cleared, dangerous gases can build-up within the home, such as sewer gas or carbon monoxide. A sewer gas backup has an odor, a carbon monoxide backup does not. - “It’s a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that can be deadly to humans,” Mead said. “You won’t even know it’s there until it starts to affect you. (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…

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
 
And Carbon Monoxide Alarms Are Cross Sensitive to Hydrogen

Here's why air pollution affects mental health
CityMetric
Air pollution has affected humankind since the beginning of civilisation. Paleopathological studies have shown the presence of carbon deposits and other pollutants in the lung of Egyptian mummies. - Following the industrial revolution, air pollution became a visible presence in urban areas, where the combination of domestic and industrial coal burning caused thick and vast smog which provided inspiration for writers and painters of the time. - London’s toxic air was a particular fascination to Charles Dickens, who often referred to it as a metaphor of the city’s moral slide into decadence caused by greed and corruption. (More)

Dangerous fumes from peat fire in Gippsland cause health risk for pregnant women, firefighters
ABC News
The 20-hectare fire, burning in decaying organic matter underground, has been emitting potentially dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur and nitrogen. - The Environment Protection Authority has installed air monitors around the Sarsfield peat fire to detect elevated levels of CO. (More)

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.

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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