The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Why You Need to Have Your Heater Regularly Checked for the Safety of Your Home

50 percent of mortality caused by carbon monoxide occurs overnight with people gradually slipping into consciousness and finally death. An average of 400 Americans dies annually from carbon monoxide poisoning. 200.000 Americans visit the emergency centers and about 4000 people have admitted annually (CDC). It is a common disease in European companies due to its increase industrial process and cosmopolitan cities.

The short-term inhalation of carbon oxides could lead to flu-like symptoms while long-term inhalation could cause coma, seizures or death.

Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas produced by car exhausts, heaters, and faulty gas appliances. It is a very dangerous disease because the signs and symptoms disappear once the person leaves the poisonous environments.The common symptoms include a headache, muscle weakness, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

This is one of the most dangerous diseases because it can be easily missed by doctors and medical practitioners during diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of these diseases vary depending on the concentration and duration of the exposure. It is more common in some professions such as mechanics that operates indoor and are exposed to prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide (CO).

The neurological and cardiovascular system is the most affected systems of the body due to prolonged carbon monoxide exposure. The major neurological symptoms include a headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of orientation, delirium, hallucination, seizures, and unconsciousness.

The heart is one of the cardinal organs affected by prolonged carbon monoxide (C0) poisoning, It usually manifests symptoms such as tachycardia, hypotension, and cardiac arrhythmia. Inhaled carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the blood to form carboxyl-hemoglobin which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. This carboxyl- hemoglobin starves the vital organs such as brain and heart of nutrients and oxygen by replacing the normal oxygen in the blood.

Carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes especially when inhaled in large quantities over a prolonged period of time. It is a dangerous, tasteless and odorless gas making it difficult to detect during diagnosis. Have your heating system checked regularly by an HVAC professional to ensure that your home and business are safe.

Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at Home

Awareness and accurate information about prevention of carbon monoxide could save a lot of lives and reduce the mortality rate in most European countries. Most people die due to ignorance and low awareness about this deadly disease. The most effective ways of preventing carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning include:

1. CO detectors: The latest invention of carbon monoxide (CO) has drastically reduced the mortality rate of carbon monoxide These detectors illustrate the fluctuation in carbon monoxide concentration in various homes and offices. It is advisable to place the detectors closer to you and installed with an alarm button to indicate abnormal or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. The best detectors are battery powered detectors with replaceable batteries. This battery should be replaced as often as you replace your wall clock.
2. Indoor activities: It is advisable to avoid flammable heaters indoors due to increased carbon dioxide exposure. Avoid flammable chemical l heater s indoors, there are a lot of safer options without compromising your health standards.
3. Be vigilant: If you perceive any unnecessary odor in your home especially form your refrigerator could be an indicator of a carbon monoxide leak. Ignoring these little signs could lead to long-term cardiovascular and neurological complications on the body. It is advisable to call an expert when you perceive any unusual odor.
4. Proper venting: Ensure that your appliances are well vented and avoid using household substances such as gum and tapes for venting your appliances. These habits of using gum and tapes to vent your appliances could lead to a carbon oxide build up in the home.
5. Frequent Appliances Checkup: Ensuring frequent checkup for all your household appliances such as a heater, coal-burning appliances, and vehicle. Frequent checkup reduces the carbon dioxide concentration released by these products herby lowering their hazardous effects.

Why You Need to Have Your Heater Regularly Checked for the Safety of Your Home

We have learned earlier that regular check-up of our heating and air can prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide in our homes. There is a need to consistency check our appliances with the help of experts for the safety of our home. The most common reasons for checking your heater regularly include:

1. Reliability: Regular checkup of your heater increases their reliability and durability. It ensures that they work efficiently for a prolonged period of This saves you money from countless repairs all year round. You can protect your health and save more money by regularly checking your heater with experts.
2. Increased Air Quality: Regular home appliances checkup improves the quality of indoor air that we breathe. It is safer to check different parts of your heater such as air filter regularly. A dirty air filter could lead to carbon monoxide poising or different cardiovascular and neurological complications throughout a lifetime.
3. Prevention of fire hazards: Regular checking of your household appliances such as heater can help in reducing the occurrence of household accidents such as fire hazards. These household accidents are often caused by faulty appliances within the home.
4. Conservation of Energy: faulty heaters or home appliances consume a lot of energy leading to increased utility bills. Frequent checkup for your appliances lowers your expenses and the energy consumed by the appliances.
5. Reduces the Risk of Appliances Breakdown: Most home appliances break down frequently due to It has been discovered that household appliances break down more frequently when overworked or overuse.
6. Increases your Health Safety: There is a saying that health is wealth and an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I would say that regular checkup for your heater could keep your doctor away in the long There are often different problems with our heater and home appliances that go unnoticed by the user. Regular checkup for your heater increases your health standard and keeps your body and vital organs safe and free from poisoning or disease.

Carbon dioxide poisoning is a silent killer that affects the majority of the population in European countries. These complications and side effects could be avoided by taking special precautions such as checking your appliances frequently. Keep your self-safe, and call your heating and air service for a checkup now.

References

Coolray.com. (2018). 6 Reasons You Need an Annual Furnace Tune-Up. [online] Available at: https://www.coolray.com/help-guides/6-reasons-you-need-an-annual-furnace-tune-up [Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].

EcoEnvironments. (2018). 5 important reasons to tune-up your furnace. [online] Available at: http://ecoenvironments.com/fall-maintenance/ [Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].

News.bbc.co.uk. (2018). BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | The dangers of Carbon Monoxide. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/6518095.stm [Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].