Common causes of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

Furnaces/HVAC Units
Space Heaters
Hotels/Resorts
Boating
Aviation/Airplanes
Air Crashes
Warehouse Workers
Propane Devices
Generators

PREVENTION: While no prevention technique is foolproof, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors can make a difference in your home. But as with all prevention devices, if such devices are not properly maintained - the batteries kept fresh, or disconnected - they won’t make a difference.

One of the most serious situations for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning is in space heaters in rental apartments or in hotel rooms. Space heaters are not just something found in older apartments. Stand alone heating units also include on the wall heating systems (typically without thermostats) that you find in a high percentage of hotel rooms.

When you stay in a hotel room with an older type system it is a good policy to check to see if there is a carbon monoxide detector in the room. One recommendation is to travel with a portable carbon monoxide detector, as only a few states have a law requiring CO detectors in hotels, and none in all rooms. Hotels

WARNING: Older ski resorts have some of the worst safety records, so be particularly cautious there.

NOTE:

The transmission of an e-mail request for information does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are a client, remember that e-mail may not be secure. WE BELIEVE THAT THE FAR PREFERRED METHOD FOR YOU TO CONTACT US IS BY PHONE AT 1-800-992-9447.

All content and images are ©copyright protected, all rights reserved by Attorney S. Johnson, Jr. ©1997 - 2008.

CARBON MONOXIDE AND GENERATORS

This winter of 2008, there have been two well publicized mass shootings in my part time home state of Illinois, and many more mass killings from Carbon Monoxide. Even the election cycle news had to take a pause for the Northern Illinois tragedy. Nary a peep, except in the local media, about Carbon Monoxide’s rampages.

The first string of cases, was so predictable, I almost blame myself for not having found a bigger mountain top to have raised my cry of alarm: household generators. Any time there is a flame, and it is in an unventilated place, there will be a risk of CO exposure. Well the last few weeks has seen many storms. With storms, comes power outages. With power outages, comes the use of portable electric generators. My father spent his life designing such generators. Electric generators, when used properly, should not be a serious risk. But they were never intended to be set up in the kitchen, to operate the microwave.

More severe weather is sweeping across the nation this week. I fear that will be more power outages, more death from this silent killer. If you are in the business of selling portable generators, I believe you must include a CO detector with each purchase. That should be the law. I am sure the good businessmen who sell them warn people, but you can buy the little portable units almost anywhere now, and the corporate executives at Home Depot or Walmart, ought to just package the CO detector right with the product.

For more information on the dangers of portable generators, click here: FEMA Tips on Generator Usage

Here are the basic rules to avoid CO exposure when using a portable generator:

Always use generators outdoors.

Keep generator exhaust away from air that flows into a building. But also make sure it is away from windows, doors and vents. The venting part can be critical. Many of the tragic stories we have heard this winter was from indirect exposure because an engine source (like a generator) was too close to an air intake vent.

Garages, basements, crawl spaces, are not OUTDOORS.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions. This presumes you can still find the instructions. Hopefully they are printed right on the generator itself. If not, look them up online. Keep in mind that exhaust that can get into your living area can kill you.

Use CO detectors, and make sure they are working, that the batteries are replaced when needed. Remember that smoke detectors, are not CO detectors. You can have CO exposure with no smell of smoke and without a smoke detector going off.

Defective Products

Furnace/HVAC Units		Space Heaters
	Hotels/Resorts
Boating		Warehouse Workers
	Aviation
Propane Devices		Generators

NEXT: CARBON MONOXIDE - RESOURCES

Brain Injury Law Office

Contact Us At
1-800-992-9447
Email Us

Disclaimer

What should I do if I suspect CO in my home?

• Leave your home immediately.
• Call 911 or Poison Control from your cellphone or from a neighbor's house after you have left your house. Seek medical attention.
  
• Call the local fire department to test for CO, or
  call your fuel supplier or licensed
  heating contractor for an
  emergency inspection.

Carbon Monoxide is referred to as CO, because that is the chemical symbol of the molecule, being one atom short of the less deadly, and natural element of the combustion cycle, carbon dioxide, CO2. CO occurs as the result of incomplete combustion, where instead of the normal combustion process, where the fuel containing the carbon atom, combines with two oxygen atoms, only one oxygen atom attaches to the carbon atom, hence CO. The existence of this toxic molecule in the bloodstream, causes potentially catastrophic consequences to the human body, including rapid death.

The Brain Injury Law Group is involved with a network of plaintiff's trial lawyers across the United States united by a common interest in serving the rights of persons with traumatic brain injuries and a common commitment to fully understanding the anatomic, medical and psychological aspects of TBI, so we may be of better service to the survivors of brain injury. This network of lawyers are not part of a national law firm. We have separate law practices and are licensed to practice only in our home states.

The Brain Injury Law Group is here to listen and for that reason we maintain an 800 number and a staff willing to discuss your case and legal information where appropriate. There is no charge to call. We only represent people on a contingent fee basis and charge a fee only when we recover for the client. For more on Attorney Gordon Johnson, click here.