Carbon monoxide poses health risks

by Yosuke Takanashi
For The Post

Heating systems help warm you in the winter, but they might leak a deadly gas ­ carbon monoxide.

Two people have been treated at the emergency room for carbon monoxide poisoning since December, said Holly Snedecor-Gray, public relations manager at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.

Bill Cash, owner of American Family Insurance Agency, 14 W. Stimson Ave., said more than 200 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning and thousands are treated at hospital emergency rooms each year in America.

“Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can’t be detected without a carbon monoxide detector,” he said. “(Carbon monoxide) is a by-product of the burning process. It’s an exhaust from burning fossil fuels.”

A relatively small amount of carbon monoxide can cause illness or death. Cash said he recommends people install a detector, which can be purchased usually for about $20 at hardware stores.

“(The detector) is the best way and maybe the only way to detect the presence (of the gas) because you cannot smell it,” he said.

Also, people can prevent the leakage of the gas by several means, including asking a heat contractor to check for gas leaks, he said.

“The proper ventilation is the answer to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning,” Cash said.

Even a new appliance can emit carbon monoxide if it is not properly ventilated to a chimney or fluke, he said.

Gas companies prepare for an emergency situation for their customers.

“We normally respond if there is an indication that there is a problem,” said Steve Jablonski, executive director of communications for Columbia Gas of Ohio Inc.

Columbia Gas receives between a dozen and a few dozen emergency calls throughout Ohio each winter, he said.

“We will identify what a problem is,” he said.

If a problem is furnace, they shut the furnace off. Homeowners are responsible to have the equipment repaired, he said.

Inspectors use a meter that senses carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, Jablonski said. But they do not necessarily have to wear a protective mask because the gas is not immediately poisonous and workers will be in a home to check for a short period of time, he said.