According to a 2012 report by the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments respond 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 linked to wood stoves, car engines and other fire combustion sources along with gas or oil furnaces.
Why is CO2 awareness so important?
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 reasons of accidental poisoning deaths in the US*, and conditions of CO2 poisoning can be mistakenly labeled as the flu, viral infections and continuous fatigue, among many others. This makes CO2 poisoning an often hidden enemy that can be fatal over several years, or within just a few short hours. Serious poisoning takes place from intaking large concentrations of CO2, but poisoning may also happen gradually over many months or years. Some symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, dizziness and fatigue.
Steps you can take to reduce the CO2 risk in your San Antonio home?
- No home should be without a reliable, tested CO2 detector. You can contact San Antonio Air Service Experts 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 a few of the symptoms mentioned 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.
