While most of us have smoke detectors, the same is not true for carbon monoxide detectors. If you live in Ontario, they will be required by law in many buildings after the passing of the Hawkins – Gignac Act last year. Despite the publicity on the law and warnings at the time, people are still dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.
This morning we had a nasty shock when we woke up to the chirping of an alarm – and not the clock alarm. Our carbon monoxide alarm was going off. Queue running around trying to open windows and finding cats. Thankfully it was just a reminder to change the batteries (we have plug in units with battery backup) but a nasty shock and realization that without them, we may not have woken up if it was a real carbon monoxide buildup.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is both odourless and colourless. It is produced when burning natural gas, propane, wood, coal and other sources of fuel. Carbon monoxide would usually be vented out and mix with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. When the gas cannot escape due to poor ventilation or a crack allows it to seep out of a furnace or machine – it is deadly.
This was especially an issue during the blackouts before Christmas when people used heaters and cooking equipment meant for outdoor use inside. These items do not have venting like your furnace as they would not need it if used as recommended.
Carbon Monoxide – The Silent Killer
“When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it builds up quickly and combines with the blood to produce ‘carboxyhemoglobin’ (COHb), which reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen,” says Health Canada on its website.
The amount of time you have to get away from carbon monoxide can be quite short so early detection is key. This invisible gas saps away the oxygen in your body until it is at dangerously low levels and the symptoms are easily confused with other illnesses. At lower levels, you may just have a headache, or feel tired or short of breath. At higher levels of exposure, or at lower levels for a long time, symptoms might include chest pain, feeling tired or dizzy, and having trouble thinking. If the levels are very high, death can occur within minutes.
Get A Carbon Monoxide Detector
A carbon monoxide detector can be as cheap as $20 but are regularly $30-60. Smoke detectors do not detect carbon monoxide (although you can get dual detectors). Most detectors have a shelf life of 10 years so make sure you replace both the unit and batteries as needed. It is a good idea to change the batteries when the clocks change. You should have detectors on all floors but especially near bedrooms.
Buy a carbon monoxide detector at Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Walmart, and many other retailers.
And yes, we changed the batteries in all of our alarms today!
We have 2 in our house, one upstairs outside the bedrooms, and the other is in the living room on the main floor. I plan to buy a third for the basement. I wrote a blog post also about them, because ours had gone off in the middle of the night. http://alwaysaredhead.com/they-were-sleeping-peacefully-a-carbon-monoxide-story/
It was definitely a wakeup call (omg bad pun), we only bought this one before Christmas (during the power outage) so didn’t even think of changing the batteries yet
we have two! So many people don’t have one and that scares me because I have heard of entire families dying from this. Great article.
It’s so important to have these in your home. There have been some family deaths recently in my area which really make the message hit home.
We have a few detectors. Mu husband is really careful about things like that. I appreciate it.
I actually just read a horrible story about a man and his parents from our area that were found dead in their home from carbon monoxide poisoning. The man’s brother came home late from working at the family restaurant to find them dead. He was able to save his uncle and family friend but lost his brother and parents. So sad.
I saw that too, so scary
We recently went through a little scare this past winter so I thank you for the information and putting it out there.
This is something we need in our house.
We bought our daughter a carbon monoxide detector and and a fire extinguisher for for Christmas (we had already given her a smoke detector). These are things that people often don’t think to buy for themselves.