Not only in old and poorly maintained boilers is carbon monoxide poisoning in wait. Modern heating systems appear in almost half of the accidents to be the culprit.
The fire department warns Monday began a nationwide campaign on the dangers of carbon monoxide. Even experts are sounding the alarm because brand new boilers do not go out automatically at installation errors.
According to the fire department, there is much uncertainty about carbon monoxide: ,, The dangers are there because there are annually killed and wounded '' For a long time it was believed that an annual fall five to ten deaths and hundreds of people injured by exposure to an increased concentration. carbon monoxide. The Safety Board believes real, based on research, that the problem is three to five times as large. That is not to say for sure because poisoning is often not recognized.
According to spokeswoman Sara Vernooij of the Research Council is the problem with the modern boilers pretty big. ,, They are not always properly installed. People think they are safe, but the reality may be different. Consumers also can not sail on safety certificates and approvals of boiler manufacturers. Many boilers example, do not turn down automatically in case of malfunction and improper installations. ''
Sneak Assassin
Vernooij argues that the Dutch Safety Board in November last year at the bell crossed the carbon monoxide problem. ,, We have a number of deaths investigated as that of a man who died a short time and also his son. It was assumed that the cause of death in both cases, of course, but carbon monoxide revealed the culprit. How many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning is not entirely clear, but it is suspected that there are many more cases than we think wrongly diagnosed. In other words, medical staff and doctors usually do not think in the first instance to death by carbon monoxide. And the problems certainly occur not only in ancient geysers and gas heaters. New material is, as said, also cause carbon monoxide problems. And regular maintenance does not guarantee safety. ''
Mechanic Simon Houweling of the Nieuwerkerkse company SOS Heating does not look strange on the problems with new boilers. ,, It unfortunately happens that during installation by handymen and others are all wrong. Usually the flue and air supply are changed. That way harmful gases such as carbon monoxide in your home, instead of having them out through the chimney, '' says Houweling.
,, Also tubes of off-and argue sometimes not well connected with rubber cuffs. If there are cracks in the system are also gases can invade your house. '' He says proper ventilation is the space where a central heating boiler is 'crucial'. ,, Anyway, it is wise to ventilate your home properly. A gelhaard with four pots in your living room is cozy but extremely dangerous without ventilation. Those pots consume the oxygen in your home quickly, causing the boiler also in trouble can come. ''
Campaign
The whole month of February stands at the fire therefore dominated by carbon monoxide. The fire in the campaign: ,, It affects everyone, because everyone has a boiler house. So again we ask attention for this unknown phenomenon. It is an underestimated phenomenon, according to the report by the Dutch Safety Board. ''
Because carbon monoxide can not smell, taste or see carbon monoxide detector is of great importance for the prevention of accidents. Part of the campaign is an online test that shows how much you are at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Source: AD.nl/ © Reuters
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