| Most people have heard of carbon monoxide (CO) and know that it's dangerous. But it's often a mystery of where it comes from, how it's produced, its physical symptoms, and what precautions you can take to ensure it doesn't endanger you or worse, kill you.
Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas, often referred to as ‘the silent killer’ because you can't see it, touch it or smell it. This odorless gas is produced as a byproduct of combustion when common fuel-burning appliances and equipment that use natural gas, oil, wood, propane and kerosene, don’t get enough air to burn up completely. When this happens, CO can build up, especially in a confined room or space – and this can lead to toxic effects on humans and pets.
The best way to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to carbon monoxide is to eliminate this poisonous gas at the source. Make the maintenance of your fuel-burning appliances, equipment and venting systems an absolute priority. Have a trained, certified technician check your furnace, gas, stove, fireplace or fuel-burning appliances on a yearly basis.
Install a tested and CSA or ULC certified alarms on each level of your home. These will warn you of rising levels of CO, giving you and your family time to escape. Without CO alarms, the only way to know if CO is present is when the physical symptoms of CO poisoning become apparent.
For more information or assistance with protecting your home, please email or call our station with the information listed at the bottom of our home page. |
