Everybody knows about the importance of having a smoke alarm installed in your home! It is almost taboo not to have one and any fire man would agree that not having a fir alarm can cause significant risk to your home. Smoke alarms can be a nuisance when you are cooking. Something may have been slightly over done and your smoke alarm lets you know that you have burnt your food. But the positive use of a smoke alarms far outweigh the cons of using a smoke alarm.
Unfortunately, some people do not have smoke alarms in their home and have died from fires in their home. In most cases, people die before fire touches them in their home, it is usually the inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO), which kills them first and causes them to be unconscious. It is extremely unfortunate that fire is still a big problem in homes despite preventative methods and legislation put in place to prevent fires. However, fires aren't the only severe danger in the home, there are still other killers.
Carbon monoxide, as mentioned before, can be deadly. It is caused by the incomplete burning of various fuels. When CO is inhaled and enters the bloodstream, it inhibits the blood's ability to carry oxygen to body tissues which include vital organs such as the brain and heart. CO combines with the oxygen carrying hemoglobin of the blood to form carboxyhemoglobin. Once it is combines, the hemoglobin would not be available for transporting the oxygen.
A fire ripping through your home is a big cause of carbon monoxide poisoning, however, there are other smaller problems which may cause carbon monoxide to be present in your home you may not be aware of.
Your cooker is one of the main appliances in your home. You use it most of the week. A lot of people are unaware that your cooker can potentially release carbon monoxide gas into your home without you knowing. Like any appliance, problems may occur with the performance. Gas connections that aren't tight and a number of other problems can cause the flame to burn incorrectly releasing the potentially deadly CO gas. It is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas so it is hard to easily detect but here are a few signs to help you spot carbon monoxide;
- Yellow or orange rather than blue flames coming from your cooker (except fuel effect fires or flueless appliances which display this colour flame)
- Soot or yellow/brown staining around or on appliances
- Pilot lights that frequently blow out
- Increased condensation on your windows
Ultimately, these aren't signs that jump out at you automatically, however there is now a solution. Similar to fire alarms, there are now carbon monoxide alarms which are incredibly cheap and easy to get hold of. They work similarly to smoke alarms and look similar too. When they can detect a certain level of carbon monoxide which can be dangerous, the alarm goes of, beeping like a smoke alarm. Once you hear your alarm go off, you should immediately contact a Gas Safe registered engineer (if you live in the UK, if not the legal body of gas registered engineers for your country), and allow them to carry out a gas inspection in your home. It is also wise to turn off your gas at the mains to prevent anymore gas being released.
According to government statistics, 4,000 people go to A&E due to carbon monoxide related illnesses, 200 people are hospitalised and there are around 50 deaths in England and Wales related to CO poisoning so it is not as uncommon as people think.
Keep alert and if you can, purchase a carbon monoxide alarm, they are available in most hardware stores in the UK, they can be just as helpful as a smoke alarm and make sure you watch out for the signs of carbon monoxide in the home.
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