Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms
by Laura Ginn WriterConcerns about gas safety usually focus on the dangers of
gas explosions. While gas is flammable, of course, and can cause an explosion
under certain conditions, the larger gas safety issue is actually carbon
monoxide poisoning. Unlike town gas (also called coal gas), distilled from coal
and in common use in the United Kingdom until the 1960s, modern natural gas has
been purified and processed to rid it of contaminants. In fact, gas delivered
to end-users in the United Kingdom is pure enough that traces of
tert-Butylthiol (t-butyl merceptan) or thiophane are added to provide an odor
similar to that of rotten eggs, as a safety measure to warn of a gas leak.
The danger from carbon monoxide arises as a by-product from
the process of combustion. Although gas is one of the cleanest-burning fossil
fuels in common use, it does produce some chemical products during combustion.
Even under the most efficient conditions, burning gas produces approximately 40
parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide (CO, in chemical nomenclature). This
level increases when the combustion is only partial, such as occurs when the
gas jets of an oven, stove top, heating grate or other gas appliance is dirty
or damaged. The concentration of this colorless, odorless gas (the tell-tale
odor-producing chemicals are destroyed during combustion) can reach much higher
levels during incomplete combustion, particularly if the space is not properly
ventilated.
Carbon monoxide molecules can, when breathed, cause damage
and eventually death. As one atom of carbon connected to one atom of oxygen,
the CO molecule bonds readily with red blood cells (hemoglobin) and myoglobin
(the oxygen-carrying protein in muscle tissues), replacing oxygen molecules. As
a result, the body can become starved of oxygen, causing asphyxiation, brain
damage and interference with muscle activity, including heart failure. Even at
relatively low levels of CO in the atmosphere, at 35 ppm, a healthy adult can
begin to feel a slight headache as the brain is deprived of a percentage of its
oxygen.
If the ventilation of a space – such as a kitchen or living
room – is not sufficient to dissipate the CO gas being produced, the
concentration can reach deadly levels. At concentrations above 800 ppm, a healthy
adult will begin to experience nausea and even convulsions in less than an hour
and, within two hours, can pass out. At twice that level, or 1,600 ppm (which
is only a miniscule 0.16% of the entire atmosphere), death can occur within two
hours. As the concentration of CO climbs even higher, anyone continuing to
breathe this colorless, odorless gas will die; the greater the concentration,
the sooner death will occur.
Acute CO poisoning usually occurs during structure fires,
when concentrations of CO (and other deadly gases) can rise quickly to very
high levels. Even if a person exposed to these high levels of CO is rescued
before death occurs, there are long-term health consequences. Short-term memory
loss, confusion, amnesia (memory loss of previous events) and dementia are all
related to the consequences of oxygen starvation to the brain. As dramatic as
these events are, the dangers of chronic (long-term) CO poisoning at lower
concentrations can also be devastating to human health. Living or working in an
area with even one one-hundredth of one percent concentration of CO – just 100
ppm – can cause a continuous headache, confusion, memory loss and mental
depression. Due to the affinity of muscles’ myoglobin to bond with CO instead
of oxygen, individuals with a history of heart disease are in danger of further
heart damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also in danger of
harm to their health.
The most dangerous aspect of CO poisoning is that,
typically, less than 30% of people subjected to dangerous levels of this gas
even show any recognizable symptoms. It is possible for someone to live or work
for years in a building with high CO levels without realizing that anything is
amiss. For that reason, it is considered to be an important part of public
health programmes to ensure that all buildings using gas appliances – from gas
furnaces to ovens – to have carbon monoxide detectors. Anyone living in a
structure considered to be at risk for CO poising can easily be tested with a
non-invasive pulse co-oximeter. This simple device, clipped to the end of a
fingertip, passes wavelengths of light through the tissue to measure the oxygen
levels in the body.
Laura Ginn
appreciates that all home owners should be aware of the effects of carbon
monoxide poisoning as part of their general gas safety
awareness. Using the energy saving tips and guides on uSwitch you can find out
everything you need to know to stay up to date on gas safety.
Sponsor Ads
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.