With cooler weather comes a reminder to stay aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide. Atco promoted Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week last week. In a media release, the Alberta utility provider said it responds to 3,000 carbon monoxide-related incidents each year and that about 300 people across Canada die annually from carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless toxic gas produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels such as natural gas, propane, wood, coal, gasoline and oil. It forms when there is not enough oxygen for fuel to burn completely. The gas can be generated by natural-gas appliances including furnaces, hot-water heaters, clothes dryers, cooking ranges, and both gas-fired and wood-burning fireplaces. Leo Pisarevski, a service distribution operator with Atco, said Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week serves as a reminder for people to test their carbon monoxide alarms and have their appliances inspected by a qualified technician. “Carbon monoxide can be created by improperly burning natural gas appliances; it can come from blocked or damaged vents (or) from cracked or collapsed heat exchangers,” Pisarevski told CTV News Edmonton last week. He said another common source of carbon monoxide during colder months is vehicles left running in garages. “We always try to remind people the importance of pulling that vehicle right out of the garage, closing that garage door behind themselves, and then letting it warm up,” he said. “A lot of people think it’s enough to just open that garage door up and let it warm up, but with a good gust of wind, that carbon dioxide can come into the house.” Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, loss of muscle control, watering and burning eyes, and nausea and vomiting. Pisarevski said anyone who suspects a carbon monoxide problem should leave the home immediately and contact Atco or call 9-1-1. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell
