As we continue to battle winter here in Schuylkill County, a recent article on the RepublicanHerald.com reminds us of the importance of carbon monoxide detectors in the home.
The article reported that a woman and her two children suffered symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning when exhaust fumes from their neighbor’s coal furnace made it into their home in Pottsville this week.
A pipe on the neighbor’s furnace became loose allowing smoke to fill the home and seep through to the woman’s adjacent home.
The neighbor did not have a carbon monoxide detector. The woman’s detector was found to be over 10 years old and not functioning properly.
City fire Chief Todd March is quoted in the article as saying, “The carbon monoxide levels in there were very high, in the 100s. Anything over 25 (parts per million) will set the alarms off. Anything over 90 will affect your health.”
The fire chief advises that anyone using a fuel burning appliance in their home should have a carbon monoxide detector installed.