According to a 2012 report by the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments attend to an average of 72,000 carbon monoxide calls each year. Carbon Monoxide, or CO2, is a colorless, odorless gas by-product of burnt fuel. It’s most often connected to wood stoves, car engines and other fire combustion sources such as gas or oil furnaces.
Why should you be constantly aware of CO2?
Not to be overly dramatic, but understanding the causes and ways to prevent excessive CO2 exposure is a matter of life and death. CO2 is tops when ranking leading causes of accidental poisoning deaths in the US*, and conditions of CO2 poisoning can be mistakenly labeled as the flu, viral infections and prolonged fatigue, among many others. This makes CO2 poisoning a very serious concern for any Livermore homeowner. Severe poisoning takes place from intaking large concentrations of CO2, but poisoning has also been reported to occur over many months or years. Some indicators may include nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, dizziness and fatigue.
How to protect your family from carbon monoxide?
- Buy a CO2 detector for each room of your home. You can phone Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning to purchase one today.
- Existing CO2 detectors should be checked regularly (at least every 90 days). It's also a good idea to replace the detector every 3-5 years.
- If you experience or have experienced some of the symptoms stated above, ask your doctor to test for carbon monoxide poisoning, and get a second opinion if necessary.
*emedicinehealth.com. Prevention information for Carbon Monoxide poisoning may be inaccurate or incomplete; none of these methods guarantee prevention of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
