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Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a byproduct from the burning of fossil fuel. Ideally, if fuel is completely burned 100% then there should be no carbon monoxide produced. This is virtually impossible in standard heating equipment for offices and homes. So the only option is to vent the remaining products of combustion called flue gasses out of the building. There is equipment available to burn 100% of the fuel by the cost is prohibitive at this time and the physical size is not usable.
How it gets in our air
Carbon monoxide gets introduced into our office and living spaces through a couple of means. The first is failure of the heating equipment components that are supposed to contain the products of combustion. Leaks, cracks, failed sealants all play a part in the introduction of this lethal gas into our breathing space. The other is interference with the heating equipment, basically anything that changes the safe operation of the heating equipment which are too numerous to mention here. Equipment starved for air can be one of the prime reasons for equipment breakdown and in this case the components that contain the fuel that is burned become the components that will leak carbon monoxide. Inspect your heating equipment regularly and check filters, keep possessions and debris away from heating equipment, and have your equipment inspected regularly by qualified, trained heating contractors.
Characteristics
Carbon monoxide in it’s purest form is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas that mixes with the air we breath and is inhaled the same as oxygen. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of fatal poisonings in North America. There are thousands of poisonings every year that are documented, not counting those individuals who do not know they are being poisoned. There is usually an odor associated with carbon monoxide gas because of incomplete combustion of the fuel and what you smell is the other products of incomplete combustion, however this is not always the case. Unless you are trained to detect the odor it would go virtually unnoticed. Exposure to high concentrations can cause confusion to anyone subjected to the fumes to the point of slowed motor skills, and death in just a few minutes. Victims lose the ability to recognize their life is in danger.
Medical diagnosis
The greatest disservice done to a victim is the misdiagnosis of carbon monoxide in the blood or Carboxyhemoglobinemia as it is referred to. It is estimated that up to half of all patients with CO exposure related illnesses are sent back to the very environment they are being exposed to the gas. Detection has usually been through the taking of a blood sample and sent to a laboratory for analysis. There is equipment now available that can detect CO in the blood without the use of needles but not all medical facilities have them.
Symptoms
The heart and brain use the greatest amount of oxygen in our body so the most damage sustained would be those two organs. This is why motor skills, cognitive processing, and nervous dilemmas occur as the brain is the functionary in all of these. The heart which supplies vital oxygen entrained blood to the extremities, organs, flesh, and skin is delivering an alternative to oxygen,
Symptoms Include
Low Concentrations - shortage of breath on moderate exertion; slight headache; nausea; dizziness.
Higher Concentrations - severe headache; mental confusion, dizziness; impairment of vision and hearing; collapse or fainting on exertion.
Extreme Concentrations - unconsciousness, coma; death.
Each individual responds differently to the effects of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide acts to cause tissue hypoxia by displacing oxygen with carboxyhemoglobin. This inhibits the transference of oxygen to the organs. Particularly affected are the heart, central nervous system and brain. The heart responds to hypoxia from CO poisoning by beating rapidly, irregularly, and with a decrease in blood pressure. Cardiac arrhythmia's (irregularities) frequently occur with the introduction of CO, causing heart blocks and ventricular ectopic beats (P.V.C.- Premature Ventricular Contraction). This cardiac irregularity may lead to heart attack and even death.
Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) is also a common result of severe carbon monoxide poisoning. This life threatening condition entails the destruction of brain cells by compressing them into themselves within the cranial compartment. Drugs that are normally used for the treatment of cerebral edema, like Dexamethasone and Mannitol, do not seem to be of assistance in the treatment of CO induced cerebral edema. Studies have shown that cerebral edema caused by CO poisoning can cause delayed neurological problems that involve the "higher" or cognitive functions, and may cause a Parkinsonian-like brain syndrome.
Call us if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above or if you have concerns about your heating equipment, chronic problems that won’t go away, or concerns that crop up occasionally.
Some background on heating equipment
Standard furnaces and boilers that were typically used since the invention of natural gas burning equipment has been outlawed in most of the western world. This equipment was unregulated as far as energy efficiency was concerned so to have a piece of equipment that was 39% efficient was not out of the question, basically 61 cents of every dollar of gas burned went up the chimney as wasted heat. Most boilers and furnaces installed from 1970 on are typically around 50% efficient. The new standard is called mid-efficient which currently uses 80% of the fuel burned so only 20% of the heating value goes up the chimney as wasted heat. Or high-efficient which is 90% or more, the highest being 95%. Equipment cannot be sold in Canada or the US unless it meets the 80% minimum. There is a new standard coming out that will require all new heating equipment installed must be in the 90% range, a limit that is to be established.
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