Every Day - Carbon Monoxide Safety Education Day - Measurement is education at its' best. - Some Early symptoms of CO poisoning include poor decision making & confusion. Don't be stupid, get an alarm.
Learn as you alert - carry a personal CO monitor. CO from a generator is not a silent killer, it is loud. Why choose to breathe combustion gas?
Cooking with gas stove controversy? Test your own air.
Pollution, a known a killer – unfortunately a product of economies
Louis Clark (1947-2021) "Can't Stop the Classics" YouTube music link
February 27, 2024 (International Spelling; no edits)
Ontario government dismisses OPSEU health and safety recommendations
Northwest Ontario News
“In my research into these, in these scientific articles, particulate matter is so dangerous -- because it's so small -- that it goes through the alveoli into the bloodstream and then can go to any part of the body and infect any organ. What's particularly fascinating is that something carcinogenic like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which the government acknowledges are dangerous, well forest fires are the number one producer of these chemicals.” (See more at this Northwest Ontario News headline link)
Three found dead in Durban home in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
TimesLIVE.com
South Africa -The lifeless body of the family’s puppy was also found. - The fire department conducted a thorough examination of the premises and identified a generator in the home as the likely cause of carbon monoxide poisoning, which resulted in the deaths. (See more at this TimesLIVE.com headline link)
Remember! The batteries used in electric golf carts can emit a hydrogen dominant gas while charging, particularly if over-charging. The sensors in many, if not most carbon monoxide alarms and detectors are cross-sensitive to this hydrogen rich gas and will become what is known as a false positive alert. Hydrogen gas is also a hazardous gas to breathe, so it is a good thing the alerts went off and the source was revealed. But this was not CO (Carbon Monoxide).
WBTV
(See what is reported at this WBTV headline link)
bioRxiv.org
Paradoxically, cigarette smoking is associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). This led us to hypothesize that carbon monoxide (CO) levels,,,, (See this bioxRxiv.org headline link)
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2. There is a way for CO to escape into breathable air.
If one of these exists, you are 50% enjoined with the hazard.
A sealed combustion system is still a hazard if it generates high, harmful levels of CO. (A sealed combustion system relies on air for combustion to be drawn from an outside source directly into the pre-fire, fuel/air mixing zone and not from inside the system placement zone. The combustion exhaust is then exited to outside areas via a vent or chimney feature.)
Proper installation, proper maintenance with testing will help assure a combustion system is not generating high, harmful levels of the toxic gas carbon monoxide, and that it is not escaping into breathable air. Carbon monoxide alarms are always recommended when a combustion system is in use. A low-level CO alarm is preferred as it will alert at levels before more harmful levels are most often detected. Don’t allow poor health symptoms to be your alarm. (COSA)
Everyone has been poisoned by CO (Carbon Monoxide) 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. May you be safe in the new year 2024.
ABC7
In the past 20 years, more than a thousand injuries from carbon monoxide leaks in U.S. hotels have been reported. The Jenkins Foundation tracks carbon monoxide incidents at popular places travelers stay. - While smoke alarms are normally required in every hotel room by law, there is no such law for carbon monoxide detectors, nor are they required by Airbnb, which has seen 10 carbon monoxide deaths in Chile and Mexico in the past five years. (See this ABC7 headline link)
Washington, D.C., Aug. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) published its updated standard for carbon monoxide alarms — UL 2034, Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms — expanding coverage to non-dwelling units, namely motels, restaurants, and other indoor locations that do not have more sophisticated detection systems installed. - The change also aligns with the 2024 International Fire Code revision that requires carbon monoxide detection for commercial occupancies…. - ULSE welcomes proposals to update or develop new standards. - The change to UL 2034 was proposed by Kris Hauschildt, founder of The Jenkins Foundation, which she established after her parents, Daryl and Shirley Jenkins, lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel room in Boone, N.C. (See more at this Globe Newswire headline link)
Who will be next? It is a certainty, it will be someone.
Protect yourself and others.
Doctor warns about dangers of generators due to carbon monoxide poisoning
KSLA
“If you are purchasing generators, the number one number one rule is, do not run them in your house. That is a for sure way to get carbon monoxide poisoning,” he explained. “Don’t put them in any enclosed space close to your house like a back porch, side porch [or] front porch. You want it at least 20 feet away from the house. And you don’t want it around anything that could bring exhaust into the house like a fan.” Dr. Steven Kitchings, the director Willis Knighton’s Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center (See more at this KSLA headline news link)
The most easily identifiable symptom of emerging carbon monoxide poisoning is when any fuel burning combustion system is in use. (Like automobiles, trucks, gas appliances and fireplaces, stoves, water heaters (geysers), cookers, barbeques, airplanes, generators, furnaces, space heaters, boats, campfires and…) It can happen to you. Get proper carbon monoxide alarm protection, the earlier the alarming notification the better off you and others may be.
You may need this test if your healthcare provider thinks you have CO poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include: Headache - Chest pain - Altered mental status and confusion - Nausea and vomiting – Dizziness – Weakness. - - Severe poisoning can cause nervous system symptoms, such as – Seizures – Coma. - - Carbon monoxide poisoning can be hard to recognize in very young children. For example, a child may merely appear fussy and not want to eat. (See more at this Brigham and Women's Hospital headline link)
The Jenkins Foundation was formed in memory of Daryl and Shirley Jenkins who both lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel room in Boone, North Carolina, on April 16, 2013. (Visit this web site)
National Library of Medicine - Lindell K Weaver
PubMed (nih.gov)
Poisoning has occurred at motels, hotels, and resorts. Congressional mandate requires smoke alarms in all guest rooms; however, smoke alarms do not detect CO. (See more at this PubMed headline news link)
OSHA.gov
… you can inhale carbon monoxide right along with gases that you can smell and not even know that CO is present. - CO is a common industrial hazard (See more at this OSHA.gov headline link)
Wear your own personal CO monitor if employer doesn’t outfit you
As winter surges, OSHA reminds employers of carbon monoxide risks when using portable generators, other equipment indoors
OSHA
U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges employers to take appropriate precautions to protect workers from carbon monoxide exposures in enclosed spaces. (See this OSHA headline news link)
Carbon Monoxide or CO is a toxic gas and acts like a poison with early regarded symptoms that can include dizziness, headache, confusion, head stuffiness, fatigue, upper respiratory irritation, breathing struggles, heart rate changes, nausea and vomiting. Too much CO is a quick killer. (CO Safety Series - Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety)
Always measure air you breathe - the classroom is everywhere.
COSA - 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. Bob Dwyer, CSME Carbon Monoxide Safety - Classroom Discussions (Video - Classroom Discussion - March 2020)
COSA
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?"
Fire is FAST! In less than 30 seconds a small flame can turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house or for it to be engulfed in flames.
Fire is HOT! Heat is more threatening than flames. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. Inhaling this super-hot air will scorch your lungs and melt clothes to your skin.
Fire is DARK! Fire starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness.
Fire is DEADLY! Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a 3-to-1 ratio. (Find out more at this Ready.gov headline news link)
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'd prefer 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 -
World Population by Year
Student exercise
Think of the action “fire” and then compare your birth year (or as far back as this chart goes) with the current population. How many fires are there going in the world? Fires spawn heat. Fires spawn combustion gases. How many fires are there? How many fires do you start or share in (even electric if your electricity comes from a fossil fuel fired generation plant miles away.
Fires include heating air and water for skin warmth – heating for cooking – heating for bathing – heating for work transportation (cars trucks, trains, planes, boats, rockets) – heating for recreation extras (vehicles) – heating for funeral pyres – heating for candle ceremonies (including ambiance) – heating for melting earth minerals – heating for burning garbage heating for running errands and activities (kidding, driving errands) and many more uses for heating. That’s a lot of combustion gas in the air, collectively. (Bob Dwyer)
READ THE OWNERS MANUAL
Please note their Listed CO concentration alarm set points
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%
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]
Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning QuickCard™ - Portable Generators (See PDF links at this OSHA headline news link)
MEASURE or LET CARBON MONOXIDE GET THE BEST OF YOU
The Jenkins Foundation
Dozens of carbon monoxide (CO) incidents occur in U.S. hotels every year. Many of these incidents result in unnecessary harm to hotel guests, (See more of this Jenkins Foundation Data Report)
The Hair Salon and the Carbon Monoxide Ghost--Prologue; Teaching CO Safety segment, 0007BDCOSA
Carbon monoxide infiltrated a hair salon business and prompted investigators into action. Decisions, testing and precautions in place, the business reopened. Help vitalize critical thinking for the unexpected with this classroom presentation, Part 1.
The Hair Salon and the Carbon Monoxide Ghost--CO Returns; Teaching CO Safety, segment 0008BDCOSA
Precautions in place and the business reopened; the carbon monoxide incident appeared to be an anomaly in normal function of a gas water heater. But then, the carbon monoxide ghost let its presence be known, and the investigators are back at it in Part 2 of this classroom presentation.
"Taking Carbon Monoxide Seriously" from "CO Safety For Life & Death of it" segment 0006BDCOSA
(COSA - BD 3 min video)
Does it take the death of a family member, friend, neighbor or someone famous for us to take carbon monoxide measurement seriously and with more understanding? Yes, unfortunately; for a while perhaps. Fortunately, there are passionate survivors and those who have felt that shocking loss and work towards greater understanding of the impact CO has on our lives. They rally to educate, instigate fund raisers to help supply CO alarms to others and to dialogue with lawmakers and policy influencers regarding laws, ordinances, and the public offering of the alarms. And you, do you have carbon monoxide protection; everywhere?
↓There is a lot to learn about carbon monoxide
COHb measurement can rule in CO poisoning but does not have the sensitivity to rule it out on its own. COHb levels do not correlate well with severity of poisoning or outcomes… (Much more at this site; view flashcard)
Story adapted by the Building Science Community of Alaska
How heat, air, and moisture works together to determine your overall home performance level. (Watch this animation - internet dropped via Kousma Insulation)
Safeguarding your family and home should be your number one priority at all times, and this is why you must not take chances in any way. - (Read more HSE, OHSA, OHS)
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
UL 2034
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.
BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) Demonstration - How it Happens Training Video
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.
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
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Carbon Monoxide Canary - music link
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
Low-Level Carbon Monoxide Protection and TPI Model 780
COSA - Video
TPI is a long time sponsor of this CO education effort.
When does your carbon monoxide alarm? How do you test it? Are you sure it is responding to carbon monoxide in a safe, timely manner? Do you know much about your carbon monoxide alarm? This Classroom Discussion segment does highlight low-level CO protection with one of our supporter's manufactured product while it helps with CO alarm education. (View video)
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Links that may be of use or interest
- Current Data for Atmospheric CO2
- Federal Aviation Administration CO warning
- Carbon monoxide toxicity-Emergency Medicine Ireland
- Carbon Monoxide detection- National Fire Protection Association
- The World Clock - Time Zones
- Earthquake Map
- Which volcanoes are erupting now? - Volcano Discovery
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- World population counter
- Animal cameras - variety of locations
- American Red Cross
- Heart Rescue using an (AED)
- Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution
- U.S. Drought Monitor
- Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive
The following companies are also acknowledged for their support of carbon monoxide safety education and this daily news blog. They may just have what you are looking for.
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