Family Found Dead Overnight. I bought 3 more household Carbon Monoxide monitors today

[SC_Hoaty]

Thanks for the clarification. It was your first news report in this thread from outside the US. Just wanted to make sure I was keeping up.

 

[DandyDon]

I think I posted some from Canada. I'm not posting them all, there are more everyday in winter, but some seem to hit a point. Risks exist in summer even but much lower overall.

This one happened in warm, southern Arizona where CO detectors are probly rare, especially in warehouses...
Tempe forklift operator treated for carbon monoxide poisoning

This lady was saved by her's, but couldn't get out of the house really...
Firefighters plow through storm, save woman from carbon monoxide poisoning - Fairfield - Minuteman News Center
Excerpting: When Engine 1 got to the woman’s street, Barberry Road, it got stuck in the snow. Firefighters on the second truck started to shovel out the first one. Luckily, there was a town snow plow nearby. It cleared the street. Firefighters had to use their breathing apparatus to go into the home, where they measured the CO level at 500 parts per million. Normal CO levels are 7 to 10 parts per million.

City alderman, wife survive carbon monoxide scare - Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser - Alberta, CA
from Canada - Excerpting: A Wetaskiwin city politician is singing the praises of carbon monoxide detectors after he believes the device saved his and his wife's lives.

The city politician said it was during the holiday season that his wife – Wendy – asked him to replace the batteries in the smoke detectors, and at the same time, pick up a carbon monoxide detector for the couple's four-storey home.

"I bought one, and took it home.

"We've been sick for quite a while at home – flu-type symptoms," recalled McFaul.

 

[Ayisha]

I'm surprised that commercial buildings in the U.S. don't have to have CO monitors. I've heard that commercial buildings in Ontario have to have CO monitors, but I'm not sure. I wasn't aware of the issue of the lack of CO monitors in commercial buildings in North America. I just assumed it would be so easily taken care of... hmm....

Commercial and residential buildings have to have a smoke detector here. Apparently firefighters were checking when it first became required a few years ago, but none ever came to my place. I have one hardwired on each floor plus a CO monitor on each floor near a gas source.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I think I posted some from Canada. I'm not posting them all, there are more everyday in winter, but some seem to hit a point. Risks exist in summer even but much lower overall.

This one happened in warm, southern Arizona where CO detectors are probly rare, especially in warehouses...
Tempe forklift operator treated for carbon monoxide poisoning

This lady was saved by her's, but couldn't get out of the house really...
Firefighters plow through storm, save woman from carbon monoxide poisoning - Fairfield - Minuteman News Center
Excerpting: When Engine 1 got to the woman’s street, Barberry Road, it got stuck in the snow. Firefighters on the second truck started to shovel out the first one. Luckily, there was a town snow plow nearby. It cleared the street. Firefighters had to use their breathing apparatus to go into the home, where they measured the CO level at 500 parts per million. Normal CO levels are 7 to 10 parts per million...

DD,

A couple of things. First, in my professional safety and health work, I have measured CO levels in a tree processing area where they were using internal combustion engines in and out of a warehouse. In winter, they closed them down with plastic, and I found significant levels of CO. My recommendation was that if they had to have forklift running into a warehouse, they should be electric. I also measured CO off the back of a fire truck, the older style ladder truck, and found levels of around 500 ppm. I advised the firemen to keep their noses up in the wind, or they would have a significant dose of CO before they even got to a fire.

Now, about that 7-10 ppm being "Normal CO levels..." they aren't. Normal for CO for the atmosphere is 0.1 ppm. If you have more, there is some pollution causing it. Apparently, some homes have between 0.5 and 5 ppm CO. But again, any elevated levels would be from some source, and is not "normal." Here is information from Wikipedia about CO.

John (SeaRat)

 

[DandyDon]

I shudder to think about what we survived working in our farm barn in the winter with propane heater running, no vent, etc. - or the old frame house I used to live in with unvented space heaters. As the years passed, it just was not worth the money to try and repair it so I just spent more on propane burning all I could to stay warm on cold nights. There was plenty of drafts but that one little CO monitor I had was not safe enough. It's been empty for a few years; need to bury it as we do with worn out buildings.

Another day of winter, more useless losses, plus these....

Warnings about "when snow blocks furnace fresh air intakes and exhaust vents." Heavy Snowfall Can Cause Concern Over Carbon Monoxide - Brookfield, CT Patch

Four in Florida even hit by CO: 4 in Port St. John treated for carbon monoxide inhalation | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

Airline crew hit at San Francisco Marriott - about as nice of a hotel as you can get: SIA staff sickened by carbon monoxide at US hotel The Pocket CO monitor is not as cheap as others, but it's tiny enough. I wear mine on my shirt on planes as they don't have monitors either. There is a FA organization pushing for CO safety, but airlines don't care enough.

Warnings for anyone who had roof work done: Building Dept. Stresses Carbon Monoxide Safety - News Story - KRDO Colorado Springs

Good maintenance, good inspections, good monitors! Again, you can't sense CO in anyway...

 

[breakpb]

Thanks for all the info. I am going to check mine.

 

[ItsBruce]

Don, you've convinced me. I just bought one for the house.

 

[DandyDon]

Don, you've convinced me. I just bought one for the house.

I'm glad you did. I'd miss you on SB. There are just too many possible risks and since it cannot be detected by any human senses, prevention and monitor detection are your only hope. And new CO stories come up every day thru the winter, less frequently during warmer times altho still possible with water heaters, forklifts in warehouses, cars left running for whatever reasons, etc. In some stories, CO alarms give people advance warning of fires before smoke detectors go off in the same building.

It's easy to find new CO stories; just go to Google News type in monoxide and click Past Week or Past Day. Here are some of notable interest with brief excerpts on some...

This could have been a horrible tragedy: CTV Winnipeg- Detectors installed one week before carbon monoxide leak at daycare - CTV News
"A carbon monoxide detector went off and 54 children and 19 staff members were removed from the building. Everyone was assessed by medical staff aboard three buses, which took people to the HSC Children's Hospital."

This club is now pushing for local awareness and CO monitor installations: Carbon monoxide sends 42 frat members to hospitals

Carbon monoxide probed in child's van death
"FRANKFORT -- A Kentucky coroner says a toddler apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning after she and two siblings fell ill in their family's older-model minivan during a trip. "
I drive an old pickup and added a battery power CO detector last week. It'll be easy to take into hotel rooms on road trips, too.

Ice fishermen often sit inside huts with heaters, right? Ice Fisherman Found Dead Near Atwater | KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul
"Another man who entered the ice house also needed treatment after suffering respiratory problems."

Charlotte woman and her pets found dead in home; police say carbon monoxide poisoning possible - WTKR
Many first responders do not carry portable CO monitors but more are adding them to kits.

I suppose that some people will sit in an idling car inside a garage waiting for the heater to work before leaving to the colder outdoors? From Anchorage: 2 found dead in vehicle; carbon monoxide poisoning suspected: Anchorage | adn.com

My mind speculates on why a Baltimore couple would sit in an idling car inside a garage at a vacant house. Even if questionable reasons were involved, the outcome was harsh: Pair found in idling car in Severna Park suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning - baltimoresun.com At least they'll live thru their exposure and maybe serve as a humorous anecdote in warning others.

 

[Ayisha]

I came on here to post that a whole lot of children and adults at a Winnipeg daycare were saved by a carbon monoxide detector that detected a CO leak from a "faulty heating system", but Don beat me to it. I can't even get the Canadian stories faster than Don! Here's a follow-up:

Winnipeg daycare sends 54 kids to hospital | Sympatico.ca News

 

[DandyDon]

I came on here to post that a whole lot of children and adults at a Winnipeg daycare were saved by a carbon monoxide detector that detected a CO leak from a "faulty heating system", but Don beat me to it. I can't even get the Canadian stories faster than Don! Here's a follow-up:

Winnipeg daycare sends 54 kids to hospital | Sympatico.ca News

What's worrisome about that incident is that the day care had only had the CO monitor for a week - purchased at the suggestion of the furnace company. Got to wonder if it had been emitting dangerous CO previously? Kids are more at risk with CO.