Carbon Monoxide (CO) can become deadly if left untested in your homes. Carbon Monoxide is nothing to mess around with even at low levels (see link below). It is a good idea to have a qualified service technician come on a regular basis to test your various appliances, heating systems, or anything combustable in your homes like your vehicles parked in the attached garage.
I am focusing on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning here because it mimics so many other health conditions making it difficult to determine if this is the actual cause.
Early symptoms:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
More advanced symptoms:
- Mental confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of muscular coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Ultimately death
The above represents common symptoms in varying stages of exposure that are common with many other conditions such as the flu, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (Pots), and many others. The addition of Carbon Monoxide exposure can also worsen the effects of other chronic illnesses.
Even low levels of chronic carbon monoxide exposure over a period of time can potentially have serious health effects:
Effects on health of prolonged exposure to low concentrations of carbon monoxide
Having certified Carbon Monoxide alarms installed in your home per building code is crucial for early detection. In addition, having a licensed professional technician to do a complete CO inspection of your home on a regular basis is also highly recommended. Purchasing a quality portable CO detector to carrier around with you at home or at other locations such as travel or at work is also a prudent idea to provide further protection from this hidden danger.
Click on below link for more information concerning this important health hazard:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-08/documents/pcmp_english_100-f-09-001.pdf
Natural Gas
Natural Gas and other fossil fuels have many benefits but can quickly injure or even kill if a leak occurs in your home. Again, having a qualified licensed service technician come on a regular basis to test your home is crucial to help prevent a potential explosion.