Sunday, March 22, 2020

Carbon Monoxide News March 22, 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!
What is the risk of getting nauseous from carbon monoxide?
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Fullness of knowledge always means some understanding of the depths of our ignorance; and that is always conducive to humility and reverence.” Robert Andrews Millikan (1868-1953, bio link)

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We'd be gathering now -  
National Conference Scheduled for March 23-25, 2020 Postponed
Despite this set back, the ESCO Group has gotten some of your instructional aids and courses up and running online. ESCO Proctor Log-in for certified ESCO Proctors.
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(Scroll down for today's CO News link postings.)
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Every Day Carbon Monoxide Safety Education Continues
There are ongoing additions and alterations to this site. Instructors and students, look for the description phrase:
"Classroom Discussions" 
These will be CO Safety program segments (Good information for all)
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About this CO Safety slide/video program process
"Teaching Carbon Monoxide Safety For the Life and Death of it"
NOTE - Slide and video segments of this presentation are being placed on this updating daily web site. Within the next few days and weeks, the entire updated 2020 CO safety program can be viewed in segments on this site for use in the classrooms I won’t be attending in person and for those viewing this Internet site.

"Every live presentation I do is about the same topic but each one is presented differently. This means I may charge up and rearrange slides to present the information from alternate perspectives. My slides will become familiar though it will seem the supportive CO News links will unfortunately continue with painful similarities."  

This also expands our community education program for fire departments, emergency responders, health care providers, code and building officials and everyone else involved in community and individual safety practices. 

The placement of these segments here are also to support the ESCO Group and the HVAC Excellence instructors with their training and exam duties. These segments viewed will help prepare the trainee for their Carbon Monoxide and the Combustion Analysis exam credentials while helping aid the instructors in their efforts. Viewing the daily CO News links widens your CO perspective.

Contact - the ESCO Group https://escogroup.org/ for more information on the CO exam and all their training and written exam certifications. Every item on this site is placed in the efforts to raise awareness to help reduce the impact carbon monoxide has on people.

We can accomplish and seek solutions through daily research and measurement. What is the point of teaching if we don’t practice what we teach? Without measurement add darkness to the description of "The Silent Killer". "We are all students gathering information when it comes to carbon monoxide safety.Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety contact - bobdwyer@cosafety.org

Today’s CO News Links are just below these short video links
Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety - Classroom Discussions
(Video - Classroom Discussion) Are your symptoms flu-like? Don’t get lost in the symptoms – measure carbon monoxide. No matter what you do for a living you should know about the health impacts of carbon monoxide exposure and what your role in the prevention of poisoning.

Weekly Re-Cap (video) - Last Week - classroom discussion sessions 
A brief tutorial regarding combustion air and carbon monoxide generation and several stories from last week that unfortunately demonstrate the tutorial. Carbon monoxide safety education requires your daily measurement.

Bob Dwyer Carbon Monoxide Safety Association
COSA provides Carbon Monoxide safety education, training, consultation, product evaluations.
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World Wide Reports - Pollution and Health Effects
Carbon Monoxide News Links –
March 22, 2020 - More news links below (International Spelling; no edits)

Air quality improving in quarantined countries
The Japan Times
Images by the U.S. space agency NASA are clear, in February the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) fell dramatically in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, passing from an indicator that was red/orange to blue. - NO2 is mainly produced by vehicles, industrial sites and thermal power stations. - As China moves past the peak of its crisis, however, recent images by the European Space Agency (ESA) show a resurgence in NO2 emissions. (More)

5 reasons to find hope amid coronavirus chaos
theindependentbd.com
Researchers in New York also told the BBC that early results showed carbon monoxide, mainly from cars, had been reduced by nearly 50% compared to last year. (More)

3 girls were poisoned by gas in Yinzhou, Hebei, causing 2 deaths and 1 injury
DailynewsX (press release)
According to the hospital's diagnosis, three people were sent to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, and two female classmates died after being rescued. Mr. Wang's daughter is still in the rescue and is in a high-risk period. (More)
COSA (Video for classroom discussions, Carbon Monoxide Safety)
CO alarms are lab tested with certified carbon monoxide gas to help demonstrate delayed response vs rapid response to the toxic gas in this 15-minute classroom tutorial. Always asking the question "How soon would you like notification that your health is at risk from carbon monoxide exposure?"

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

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 (More)

Get an earlier warning, learn more about CO in your life
Part 1 Using TPI Model 780 Low Level CO Monitor BDCOSA 9m46s
Part 2 Using TPI Model 780 Low Level CO Monitor BDCOSA 9m56s

Scroll Down For More of Today's CO & Air Quality News Links 
Please, stop diagnostic errors; start testing for carboxyhemoglobin

More Daily News Links Are Below These 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.

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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]

And Carbon Monoxide Alarms Are Cross Sensitive to Hydrogen

"Love Song To The Earth" - Official Lyric Video

CO, Air Quality, Pollution News Links
 


March 22, 2020 (International spelling, no edits)
Athens Air Pollution Records Fall After Coronavirus Restrictions
Greek Reporter
A significant drop in air pollution readings has been observed in Athens since the government took strict precautionary measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus, scientists said on Friday. - Based on a comparison of the average daily concentration values per day for the period March 11, when schools were closed, until March 18, 2020, with the corresponding period of 2019, there was an overall decrease of 11.4 percent in nitrogen dioxide pollutants. (More)

Business as usual not a wise response to climate crisis
The Recorder
Recent studies have also shown that the biggest and oldest trees in the forest not only store the most carbon but continue to do so at a much faster absolute rate than younger trees. - “The conservation of large-diameter trees in tropical and temperate forests is therefore imperative to maintain full ecosystem function,” including carbon capture and storage. - It is of inordinate importance to protect the largest trees we now have because it will take centuries to replace them, centuries we don’t have in the face of the Climate Emergency. (More)

The climate crisis is still ongoing. Once the pandemic is over, let’s not return to business as usual
The Independent
The coronavirus has resulted in our transport infrastructure shrinking worldwide, tour firms in meltdown, cruises cancelled and pubs, cinemas and restaurants closed down. Technical fixes such as industrial carbon capture are unlikely to save us. Once the pandemic is over, let’s not return to a business-as-usual, live-only-for-today lifestyle. (More)
Classroom discussion sessions - video
Three separate CO News stories connected by CO alarm circumstances. Know how your alarm is tested and how it responds to the actual presence of carbon monoxide. Bob Dwyer Classroom discussion segment, March 8 2020

To all parents everywhere; grief's pain alerts others
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 (More)
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


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…

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

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 - Investigate the following video segments to explore low level carbon monoxide measurement.

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

Bob Dwyer Carbon Monoxide Safety Association
COSA provides Carbon Monoxide safety education, training, consultation, product evaluations.
You have asked - this is the alarm I have in my house. Every home should have at least one low level CO detector. Each video is less than 10 minutes.”  Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety 
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- Carbon monoxide toxicity-Emergency Medicine Ireland
- 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.


Tribute“CITIZENS WILL CONTINUE TO DIE & BECOME SERIOUSLY ILL DAILY!” George Kerr (1933-2017)

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





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

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