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Underwriters Laboratories Reminds College Students About The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

NORTHBROOK, Ill., - February 11, 2005 - Each heating season news organizations across the country cover stories of consumers succumbing to carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. Earlier this month, one person died and nine others were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after a leak at an apartment building near the University of Vermont. On February 10, a similar incident occurred when high levels of CO forced the evacuation of a Boston apartment building, sending four college students to the hospital.

Unfortunately, these tragedies are not uncommon, even to college students. Each year, more than 250 people die and 10,000 seek medical attention after accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, primarily because they don't recognize the warning signs of exposure or because their residence is among the 80 percent of U.S. homes that don't have a CO alarm.

"These incidents emphasize the importance of students being educated in more than just academics," says Ed Comeau, director of the Center for Campus Fire Safety, a non-profit organization dedicated to the safety of college and university students across the country. "We must all realize that college is also about learning the importance of life safety skills that will protect us from such dangers as fire and CO poisoning as well as the importance of owning smoke alarms, CO alarms, and even fire extinguishers.

"These are life safety lessons that students can use throughout their adult lives to protect themselves and their families from harm. Whether you live in an apartment or other type of off-campus housing, you close their windows tight and turn on the heat for warmth when the temperatures drop," says John Drengenberg, manager of Consumer Affairs for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), the not-for-profit product safety testing organization. "If your home or apartment's furnace, water heater, stove or other fuel-burning appliances are not burning fuel completely and there isn't sufficient ventilation, you could be exposed to CO. The only way to protect yourself, your roommates or your family is to install UL-Listed CO alarms. They're designed to detect elevated levels of CO and sound an alarm to alert you to potential poisoning risks."

The safety professionals UL and the Center for Campus Fire Safety suggest college students and consumers take the following preventive measures in addition to installing CO alarms:

  • Make sure your landlord brings in a qualified technician to inspect fuel-burning appliances at least once each year. Fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, hot water heaters and stoves require yearly maintenance. Over time, components can become damaged or deteriorate. A qualified technician can identify and repair problems with your fuel-burning appliances.
  • Be alert to the danger signs that signal a CO problem: streaks of carbon or soot around the service door of your fuel-burning appliances; the absence of a draft in your chimney; excessive rusting on flue pipes or appliance jackets; moisture collecting on the windows and walls of furnace rooms; fallen soot from the fireplace; small amounts of water leaking from the base of the chimney, vent or flue pipe; damaged or discolored bricks at the top of your chimney and rust on the portion of the vent pipe visible from outside your home.
  • Be aware that CO poisoning may be the cause of flu-like symptoms such as headaches, tightness of chest, dizziness, fatigue, confusion and breathing difficulties. Because CO poisoning often causes a victim's blood pressure to rise, the victim's skin may take on a pink or red cast.
  • Install a UL Listed CO detector outside sleeping areas. A UL Listed CO detector will sound an alarm before dangerous levels of CO accumulate. CO indicator cards and other devices are also intended to detect elevated levels of CO, but most are not equipped with an audible alarm, and cannot wake you at night, when most CO poisonings occur.
  • Read the manufacturer's instructions carefully before installing a CO detector. Do not place the detector within five feet of household chemicals. If your detector is wired directly into your home's electrical system, you should test it monthly. If your unit operates off of a battery, test the detector weekly and replace the battery at least once a year.
  • Avoid placing your detector directly on top of or directly across from fuel-burning appliances. These appliances will emit some CO when initially turned-on. Never use charcoal grills inside a home, tent, camper or unventilated garage. Don't leave vehicles running in an enclosed garage, even to "warm up" your car on a cold morning.
  • Know how to respond to a CO detector alarm. If your alarm sounds, immediately open windows and doors for ventilation. If anyone in the home is experiencing symptoms of CO poisoning -- headache, dizziness or other flu-like symptoms -- immediately evacuate the house and call the fire department. If no one is experiencing these symptoms, continue to ventilate, turn off fuel-burning appliances and call a qualified technician to inspect your heating system and appliances as soon as possible. Because you have provided ventilation, the CO buildup may have dissipated by the time help responds and your problem may appear to be temporarily solved. Do not operate any fuel-burning appliances until you have clearly identified the source of the problem. A CO detector alarm indicates elevated levels of CO in the home. Never ignore the alarm.

About the Center for Campus Fire Safety

The Center for Campus Fire Safety is a non-profit organization that focuses on the complex issues of fire safety at our nation's colleges and universities. Through education and advocacy, the Center works with colleges, universities and fire safety professionals to create fire safe environments on campuses across the nation.

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products for more than 110 years. UL tests more than 19,000 types of products annually, and more than 19 billion UL Marks appear on products each year. Worldwide, UL's family of companies and its network of service providers include 58 laboratories, and testing and certification facilities.

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