Time and again, deaths are caused by defective wood stoves and gas boilers because of the escape of carbon monoxide. Small devices can protect against this.
If a wood stove, gas boiler or oil heating system is defective, it can emit carbon monoxide (CO) – a deadly gas. CO detectors warn of this. They trigger an alarm at a certain CO concentration in the room air.
The danger should not be underestimated: “Carbon monoxide causes several thousand cases of poisoning in Germany every year, including several hundred deaths,” warns Prof. Andreas Hensel, President of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). The gas is produced during the chemically incomplete combustion of wood, coal, heating oil or natural gas.
The odorless and colorless gas prevents the blood from transporting vital oxygen in the body. Headaches, dizziness, nausea and shortness of breath are symptoms of mild to moderate poisoning. More severe courses can result in cardiac arrhythmias and blood pressure fluctuations, epileptic seizures, disturbances of consciousness as well as respiratory paralysis and heart failure.
In the event of severe symptoms of poisoning, the BfR advises alerting the rescue service. In the case of mild symptoms and in unclear cases, a call to a poison information center can be useful.
Blocked exhaust air pipes can also cause a life-threatening CO concentration in the room air. And carbon monoxide penetrates walls and ceilings. You can also be in danger with defective systems in neighboring apartments.
Therefore, the “CO makes K.O.” initiative advises not only to install a detector in every room with fuel-powered devices such as gas boilers, oil heating or fireplaces. But also in all rooms in which people stay longer. Like the living room and the bedroom.
CO alarms look similar to ceiling mounted smoke alarms. They are installed in rooms without heaters but at the height at which one usually breathes in in the room – i.e. in the bedroom at pillow level or near the desk at head level when sitting. In rooms with heating devices, they are placed on the wall at a distance of one to three meters from the device or on the ceiling in the center of the room.