Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, highly-poisonous gas formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon or a carbonaceous material, such as gasoline. Some producers of carbon monoxide (CO) are industrial processes, heating equipment, accidental fire, cigarettes and the internal combustion engine. Generators, candles, and space heaters can all create CO emissions.
CO is always produced when natural gas, liquid propane, oil, coal, gasoline or wood are burned; often at dangerous levels. Exhaust gases need to be vented properly to avoid CO accumulation in any living space. If the combustion takes place with excess oxygen in a properly tuned burner, not much CO is produced but improper adjustment or any smoldering fire can produce significant CO emissions.
How much is too much?
There are many standards for CO exposure limits. The OSHA standard is 50 parts per million (PPM) in the air as a maximum exposure in the workplace. One PPM is defined as one CO molecule in one million molecules of air. This is about the same dilution as one shot glass of gin in a railroad tanker car full of tonic.
The majority of off-the-shelf home CO detectors are designed to alarm at 100 PPM and above, to satisfy current laws concerning home CO alarms. A few home CO meters have digital readouts to show lower levels but they will not alarm at these lower levels.
The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) lists a maximum allowable short term limit of nine PPM of CO. The EPA has set two national health protection standards for CO: a one-hour standard of 35 PPM and an eight-hour standard of nine PPM. From the above standards and guidelines it follows that any CO reading over nine PPM should be investigated and acted upon.
Health Effects
Low-level exposure can cause chronic health conditions from cardiovascular disease to a Parkinson's like illness. The following is an excerpt from the EPA: "The health threat from lower levels of CO is most serious for those who suffer from heart disease, like angina, clogged arteries or congestive heart failure. For a person with heart disease, a single exposure to CO at low levels may cause chest pain and reduce that person's ability to exercise; repeated exposures may contribute to other cardiovascular effects. Even healthy people can be affected by high levels of CO. People who breathe high levels of CO can develop vision problems, reduced ability to work or learn, reduced manual dexterity and difficulty performing complex tasks. At extremely high levels, CO is poisonous and can cause death. CO contributes to the formation of smog ground level ozone, which can trigger serious respiratory problems."
Measuring Exposure
There are portable, digital meters that measure various gases. These dosimeters have a digital display of the current level or concentration of CO. If used over time, they can compute the total exposure (over time) in units of PPM-hours. There are guidelines for keeping workplace exposure below 200
PPM-hours for an eight-hour workday.
The variables that are typically reported in a dosimeter are the maximum exposure concentration, the time when this occurs, the total exposure and the time-weighted average (TWA). The TWA is the total exposure divided by the time over which the exposure occurs (i.e. the PPM-hours divided by the period of time in hours you collected the exposure data). If the TWA is over 35 PPM for one hour, you are in an environment that exceeds the EPA's national health protection standard. Dosimeters range in price from the low $100s on up. They sometimes include a maximum exposure reading and a total exposure reading.
If at Risk, Act
If you are in CO levels above nine PPM, you can and should attempt to change your environment by opening a window to ventilate the area with clean air or by leaving the area. Bring in fresh air if possible. While a level of nine PPM is not an emergency, you should look for possible sources and cleaner air. Determine the sources of the CO by looking for activities like smoking, burning toast, vehicle exhaust or a campfire. If the levels are over 35 PPM, consider evacuating until the source is determined. If levels are above 125 PPM, call in a professional fire department and evacuate. www.findmeaninspector.com
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