Carbon Monoxide News - July 17, 2012

“Our age knows nothing but reaction, and leaps from one extreme to another.”  Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971, bio link)

Fire and other combustion systems; don’t bring them inside

Close your eyes for a few seconds and envision “fire”. Think fire.

What did you see? Did you see a single flame, the fire in an automobile engine or a camp fire? Did you see the fire on your cook top or the fire in your charcoal barbeque? Did you see a house on fire or the fire past the hearth in a fireplace? Was it a wood fire, coal fire, grass fire, forest fire, gas fire, or; what fire did you see? When you hear and see a gasoline powered generator while it is in operation, do you think of it as something that is making fire?

There are many ways we can "see" fire. There are many ways we use fire. Our worldwide human culture began fire experiences so far back in time that no one can really lay claim to exclusivity of ownership to it. There are fires and fuels burning in many places around the globe. And we still bring fires inside and suffer age old consequences.

Would urban dwellers have wood camp fires in the middle of the a sitting room in their house, and let the smoke go wherever it wants? Probably not. Somewhere along the way we learned that our campfires needed chimneys when we wanted this fire inside our house. We learned that breathing these combustion gases was not healthy, even deadly. In a genius of science, the plains Indians in now North America designed a dwelling that was both a house and a chimney, the draft hood-looking tipi. Humanity learned how to live in a chimney without injury.

But we as a collective human wave always seem to want to defy the strength of fire and challenge ourselves to live in man-made combustion waste and, somehow accepting the statements that these exhausts are safe and normal. We are told by the people responsible for regulating our air, our alarm standards, that we should be ok with breathing in combustion gases.

Is it a failure in the transmission of cultural knowledge regarding fire safety through the ages,  that should have been instinctual, common knowledge by now, to keep producing products intentionally designed to have open exhaust systems and, to be used inside buildings or to horrendously foul our outside air?

Too often the use of a modern fire system results in the injury or death of people who bring fire of any fuel source inside of very small spaces that they too will be in. We are smart; we are not so smart. Keep the fire outside or contained from start to finish, including exhaust containment when used inside. As obvious as it may seem to some people that there are numerous combustion systems that are immediately dangerous to health and life if used inside, there are others who, for whatever reason do not recognize the danger.

Collectively, we must need more and better instructions or more reminders regarding fire and combustion system safety. Some of us make mistakes where we really should know better, like bringing our barbeques inside buildings and small spaces. We do need alarm systems that prevent even the early, sickly health effects of the poisoning and we need to make sure that safety practices are handed down (and up) with reverence to our generations and everyone understands the importance of prevention and detection.

Perhaps we have been so far removed from the science of building a cooking or heating fire to switching one on, that we have forgotten some of the basics like, “don’t breathe the smoke!.”  And “fire and people need air” and make sure to have someplace for an exhaust exit where its waste gases won’t be harmful.

Carbon monoxide can be in our air without the presence of smoke.  In our present human culture we often breathe in combustion gases without knowing how much CO is present, or for how long we have been breathing it in. We may not be smelling the smoke but we are inhaling the products of the fire which may contain CO. A small amount can be tolerated I suppose to some degree for a brief period, but why take the chance? Why torture yourself or others now that you know about how oxidative stress from the poisoning can occur? Breathing in combustion gases should be avoided for better health.

The use of unvented systems inside buildings where combustion gas dispersion occurs into breathable air cannot be recommended. Those choosing to use unvented systems for themselves or for others should take caution of the manufacturer instructions for use and must comply with the rules or laws prescribed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction in the places you intend to use them. These unvented systems can include those used for cooking, baking, broiling, and barbequing.

Additional unvented systems that require cautions for use inside tents, cabins, campers & caravans (and even inside small flats & apartments, everywhere, really) are fuel burning space heaters, unvented fireplaces and lighting systems.  Other unvented combustion systems of fire that might be part of the common workforce and are often found being used inside buildings include power washers and floor scrubbers, and forklifts.

Think again now of the word “fire”. Please be advised to pack along and use a carbon monoxide alarm with you when you, when you,…..you decide. Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety

Who is in responsible for the air you breathe?

CO News links
Borough council receives FEMA grant for smoke, carbon monoxide detectors ...
The Herald-Mail
The Chambersburg Borough Council announced Monday it has received a federal grant for what the borough manager describes as “one of the most important programs developed by the Chambersburg Fire Department.”

National awareness campaign warning of barbeque hazards
Panone.com (blog)
The charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning from barbecues. The campaign is being launched to help raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide. The campaign in memory of 14 year old Wilmslow schoolgirl Hannah Thomas-Jones and others who lost their lives to carbon monoxide from barbecues or camping lamps has been launched from the House of Commons on Tuesday 10 July.

Couple exposed to carbon monoxide for five years
Borehamwood Times
A Borehamwood couple who have been exposed to carbon monoxide for the last five years are furious the homebuilders put them at risk.

Baby amongst seven evacuated after carbon monoxide fears
Borehamwood Times
A baby and six other people were hospitalised after a suspected carbon monoxide leak on Saturday.

Carbon Monoxide 'poses danger to unprepared caravan owners'
Caravan Times
An insurance provider has warned caravanners that carbon monoxide from faulty appliances poses a serious health risk.

· Heart Rescue Now This link takes you to a very short video that is a practical demonstration on the proper usage of an AED. This video is tastefully done & demonstrates the step-by-step way one might be able to save a life.

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

· Carbon Monoxide Survivor A website made by poisoning survivors that brings a view that can only come from those that know what it is like to have been poisoned - as well as live with the long term impact.

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

National Conference of State Legislatures
Carbon Monoxide Detectors State Statutes
Twenty-five U.S. states have statutes that require carbon monoxide detectors in certain residential buildings. Updated Nov. 2011
Alaska | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts| Michigan | Minnesota | Montana | New Jersey | New Hampshire | New York | North Carolina | Oregon | Rhode Island | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Wisconsin | West Virginia

Google Maps to reference the locations referenced in these Internet headlines.

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
The Energy Conservatory
IntelliTec Colleges
CO Experts
Masimo (See the non-invasive RAD-57)
Mahugh Fire & Safety
ESCO Institute
TPI - Test Products International