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There
could be a 'silent killer' in your home. Carbon Monoxide, known by the chemical formula 'CO', is a poisonous gas that kills more than 250 people in the U.S. each year. You can't hear, taste, see, or smell it. CO is nicknamed the 'silent killer' because it sneaks up on its victims and can take lives without warning. |
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What Causes CO
Waveland Fire Department Response |
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What Causes CO |
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| CO
is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. CO sources can include malfunctioning appliances
-- including furnaces, stoves, ovens, water heaters -- that operate by burning fossil
fuels such as natural gas, LP gas, oil, wood, or coal. Automobile and lawn mower exhaust
fumes and charcoal grills are other potential CO sources. When malfunctioning appliances aren't adequately ventilated, the level of CO may rise high enough to cause illness or even death. |
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Waveland Fire Department Response |
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| The
Waveland Fire Department responds to all CO calls within the City of Waveland. We use a hand-held Bacharach Electronic Gas Analyzer
Carbon Monoxide Detector to help determine the location of a possible CO problem. The analyzer measures the level of concentration of CO in air in PPM (parts per million) a maximum allowable level of concentration for a continuous 8 hours is 50 PPM. Anything higher than that could be unsafe. |
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How CO affects you |
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CO suffocates its victims by reducing the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. When a you inhale CO, it enters your bloodstream and replaces the oxygen molecules found on hemoglobin, depriving your heart and brain of vital oxygen. As your heart senses your body's need for more oxygen, it increases its rate to pump more blood to the body's organs and get them the oxygen they need. Eventually, lack of oxygen causes the brain and organs to fail, and death occurs. CO exposures especially affect unborn babies, infants and people with anemia or a history of heart disease. Breathing low levels of CO can cause fatigue and increase chest pain in people with chronic heart disease. Breathing higher levels of CO causes flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and weakness in healthy people. CO also causes sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and disorientation. At very high levels, it causes loss of conciousness and death. |
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Signs of Potential CO Problems |
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Streaks of carbon or soot around appliance service doors |
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Absence of draft in chimney (indicates a blockage) | |||||||||
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Excessive rusting on flue pipes or appliance jackets | |||||||||
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Fallen soot from a fireplace | |||||||||
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Protecting Your Family from CO |
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Make sure appliances are installed and working to manufacturers' instructions . |
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Have your fuel-burning appliances inspected and cleaned by a qualified technician at least once a year. | |||||||||
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Do not use ovens and gas ranges to heat your home. | |||||||||
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Do not use charcoal inside a home, cabin, recreational vehicle or camper. | |||||||||
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Do not operate gasoline-powered engines in confined spaces like basements or garages. | |||||||||
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Never leave your car or mower running in a closed garage. | |||||||||
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Make sure your furnace has adequate intake of outside air. | |||||||||
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Choose vented appliances whenever possible. | |||||||||
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Install a CO detector with an audible alarm in your home and garage. | |||||||||
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Use kerosene space heaters and unvented gas heaters only in well ventilated rooms. | |||||||||
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Don't Become a CO statistic |
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Your most important weapon against CO poisoning is prevention and a touch of common sense. A properly installed CO detector is the only tool that will alert your family to a threat. The detector should have the UL (Underwriters Laboratory) Mark to ensure effectiveness. Detectors are designed to detect elevated levels of CO in a room and sound an alarm (very important while you and your loved ones sleep). If you suspect that you have a Carbon Monoxide problem, Please contact the Waveland Fire Department, we will be glad to assist you 228-467-2042 |
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| For more information visit www.firstalert.com | ||||||||||
