Unsafe Concentrations Can Cause Serious Illness and Even Death
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Many customers are
turning gas furnaces on to stay warm as cold winter weather settles around
northern and central California this week. Pacific Gas and Electric Company
reminds customers to make sure all gas furnaces and appliances inside the home
are in proper working order. Gas appliances that do not burn properly can
produce unsafe concentrations of carbon monoxide, a colorless, tasteless and
odorless gas that can cause serious illness and even death if not detected.
Carbon monoxide is created by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
and wood. Customers should inspect the flame on all gas appliances. A blue
flame indicates complete combustion and the appliance is working properly. A
lazy, yellow flame is a warning sign that the appliance is not burning
properly and could be producing carbon monoxide.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, drowsiness,
dizziness, nausea and convulsions. Because carbon monoxide is hard to detect,
someone with mild poisoning can go to sleep and continue to breathe the carbon
monoxide until severe illness or death occurs. People may also mistake their
symptoms for a viral infection like the flu.
Last Friday, a customer in Santa Cruz suffered carbon monoxide poisoning
caused by a wall heater that had an accumulation of dust and lint clogging the
burner. To help prevent this from happening again, PG&E offers the following
tips to keep customers safe from carbon monoxide:
-- Install a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide has no color, no
taste and no odor. Detectors will warn you when concentrations become
dangerously high.
-- The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends detectors be placed
near sleeping areas, where they can wake you if you are asleep.
-- When using the fire place, make sure the flue is open.
-- Make sure rooms and gas appliances are properly ventilated.
-- Do not idle cars inside the garage.
-- Never use barbeques or charcoal indoors.
-- Have a trained professional inspect furnaces and gas appliances. PG&E
will perform these inspections for free. To schedule an appointment,
customers can call 1-800-PGE-5000 or visit our website at
http://www.pge.com.
For more gas and electric safety information, please visit
http://www.pge.com
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
PG&E News Department, +1-415-973-5930
