Stroud Township Stroud Township
Carbon Monoxide Safety Information and Links
From the OFFICE of EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT:
Power outages can occur anytime of the year not just in the
winter. Carbon monoxide can be produced from a variety of different sources such as:
Automobiles running in garages; gasoline, propane, or diesel-fueled appliances; lawn
mowers; snow blowers; generators; furnaces; gas hot water heaters; clothes dryers; natural
gas or propane refrigerators; ranges; ovens; space heaters; gas logs; wood fireplaces; and
many other appliances that requires fuel to burn. Here are some very important safety tips
residents should be aware of:
Carbon monoxide
poisoning is a subject
that people know very little about. Not only can it kill you, it can cause permanent
neurological damage in the longer term. In the short term, it can make you feel ill and
inhibit your life potential.
Check the flame
color.
Check the flue, is
it blocked?
Is there adequate
ventilation?
When were your
appliances last checked?
Do you suffer from unexplained
illnesses, Fatigue, Muscle pains , Upset stomach, Lethargy, Dizziness, Headaches?
The most important
thing
that you can do to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of carbon monoxide
poisoning is to get a carbon monoxide
detector alarm with a low level indicator.
Concentration of
CO in air |
Inhalation time
and toxic developed |
50 parts per
million (ppm) |
Safety level as
specified by the Health and Safety Executive |
200 PPM |
Slight headache
within 2-3 hours |
400 PPM |
Frontal headache
within 1-2 hours, becoming widespread in 3 hours |
800 PPM |
Dizziness, nausea,
convulsions within 45 minutes, insensible in 2 hours |
Carbon Monoxide
poisons by entering the lungs via the normal breathing mechanism and displacing oxygen
from the bloodstream. Interruption of the normal supply of oxygen puts at risk the
functions of the heart, brain and other vital functions of the body.
The above
information is for a healthy adult. Persons suffering from heart or respiratory health
problems, infants and small children, unborn children, expectant mothers and pets can be
affected by CO poisoning more quickly than others in the household and may be the first to
show symptoms.
Richard M.
Possinger
Emergency Management Coordinator
Reference
resources: www.carbonmonoxidekills.com, www.nfpa.org, and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
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