Carbon Monoxide: The Invisible Threat

I was watching investigation discovery the other night when the show was all about these crime happened a few years ago somewhere in Kansas where the landlord ended up to be the suspect of a mass murder inside one of his rented apartment. The investigator found out that after all the evidence and such; they found out that the prime suspect is the landlord who merely did the murder out of greed. Since he doesn’t want to spend money on hiring an expert to fix the furnace inside the apartment, he rather fixed it by himself even though he doesn’t have any knowledge of how to do so. So it ended up that the space heater he fixed was placed backward as it shouldn’t suppose to be.

There are five victims that have been poisoned by carbon monoxide. It is absolutely an invisible threat that we should never ignored. As they show the details of how carbon monoxide poisoning was diagnosed, the victims would experience seizure that might lead to death. It’s an odorless, colorless gas that causes the symptoms of dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and nausea and often mistaken for the flu which if not accompanied by runny nose, a cough or a fever, then it’s a major red flag.

So, how to make this carbon monoxide poisoning prevented and to be staying safe is easy. Having the utility company or a service technician to inspect appliances such as venting, gas power driers, chimney systems, gas stoves and furnaces every year is a must. And, let them check as well if there are pipes that aren’t patched or fitted tightly.

Also, make sure to use camping stoves, generators and charcoal grills outdoor- not even in the garage. Also, as we all know, never leave a car running inside an attached garage, even the door is open.

Lastly, open the chimney before you light a fire to prevent gas from being trapped and wait until the ashes are cool to close the chimney down. These are some of the helpful tips that I knew would be possible to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.  Remember, to install CO detectors at your home.

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