Dangers of being Exposed to generator Fumes

Many people have ended up in the grave or emergency hospital wards because they were ignorant of the consequences of sleeping or staying around generator fumes. The pollution from generating sets takes oxygen out of the environment and exposes anyone around to deadly effects that are fatal and detrimental

A report revealed how Generator fumes kill man, wife & 3 children in Ikorodu on September 16th 2014

Generator fumes have killed a man, his wife and all his 3 children in Ipoyewa community of Ikorodu, Lagos. The bodies of the family were discovered by neighbours last Friday September 12th in their home. All five suffocated to death after inhaling fumes from a generator which they’d kept in their room. According to neighbours, the man bought the generator just two days before the unfortunate incident and was afraid it will be stolen if left outside so he kept it inside his 2-room apartment.

Generator fumes kill family of seven in Lagos on May 5, 2014

Tragedy struck last weekend in Bagido area of Ijede Lagos, when generator fume killed a man, his wife and five other members of his family.The man whose name was given as Etim Edet was said to be a staff of Nigeria Brewery Plc. The entire family died after inhaling smoke from the generator set reportedly mounted in the house.

Father and his seven children killed by carbon monoxide from generator he bought after power company cut off their electricity on 6th April 2015

A Maryland father and his seven children were discovered dead Monday afternoon from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a generator they were using after the power company had cut off their electricity, according to relatives. The tragic incident took place in Princess Anne – a community of 3,260 in Somerset County, Maryland. Princess Anne police told Daily Mail Online that no foul play was suspected in the deaths.

St Mary mother, children die from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

RESIDENTS of Three Hills in St Mary were left in shock yesterday after a mother and her two children were found dead at their home in a suspected case of carbon monoxide poisoning. The bodies of 37-year-old Charla Thompson-Young, her 12-year-old son Brandon Young and her daughter Leslie-Ann Young, age four, were found at approximately 6:00 am by one of their relatives. Residents told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the family had resorted to using a generator after the electricity tripped out for several hours.

Family of six found dead inside Fenton Twp. home, likely carbon monoxide poisoning on February 22 2016

We are continuing to follow the heartbreaking story of a family of six found dead in their home. Investigators saying it was carbon monoxide poisoning that killed them. The family was found in their Fenton Township home on Stonybrook Pass, Sunday afternoon. Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell says this has rattled his department. The victims are the Quasarano’s – a family of six. Pickell says after their power went out on Friday, the family started up a large generator inside of a walk-out basement. Lack of ventilation inside the house caused the gas to build up inside.

Saving yourself from generator fumes

There are a few common sense approaches to use in reducing the chances of death by generator fumes only two will be discussed here.

The most obvious step is to operate your generator outside the house. Do not operate your generator inside your house, in a passage or corridor. If you must place a generator within a building, it must be in a veranda, balcony, or an open-air location within the building. The exhaust pipe must also face the open air (not the wall). Remove the generator from your window. Also, ensure that the windows on the opposite side to the side closer to the generator are open. This will ensure an in flow of fresh air into your home.

Remember that fumes from your neighbours’ generators can also harm you so ensure that your neighbours’ generators are no threat to your precious life. So make sure your neighbours’ generators are mounted in a safe place.

Another smart thing you should do to save yourself and your family from poisonous generator fumes is to install fire detector or smoke detectors in your home. Buy a smoke detector with carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide detection capability. These smoke detectors will monitor the levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in air and will alert you when they exceed safe limits.

Effects of Smaller Pollutants

According to WebMD, the smaller effects of air pollutants like volatile organic compounds can include headaches and irritated eyes and throats. Eyes may be itchy and red, requiring saline drops to feel better, and there may be some coughing. Someone who is exercising and thus breathing more deeply may have a stronger reaction, along with anyone with an already compromised immune system.

Effects of Larger Pollutants

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ground-level smog is one of the most influential air pollutants in existence, and even six hours worth of comparatively low ozone exposure can lower a person’s lung function, often with associated nausea, chest pain, pulmonary congestion, and coughing. The EPA also indicates the following pollutants are problematic:

Nitrogen dioxide – Nitrogen dioxide can reduce the body’s ability to fight respiratory infections and cause lung irritation.

Sulfur dioxide – Sulfur dioxide is linked to weakened pulmonary defenses, breathing problems, worsened symptoms in people that have cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases themselves.

Carbon monoxide – Carbon monoxide concentrations in the air have decreased overall, but persistent high levels of carbon monoxide can lead to various neurological and visual impairments.

Lead – The areas near battery plants and smelters may have relatively high levels of lead in the air, and the EPA links lead to kidney disease, neurological impairments, anemia, reproductive disorders, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.

Children and Air Pollution

Children and members of other sensitive populations are almost always going to be more vulnerable to problems like air pollution. According to WebMD, the fact that kids proportionately take in larger quantities of air compared to adults makes them more vulnerable to air pollution. Children also tend to play outdoors more, engaging in sporting activities that speed up their breathing even more. Their lungs are also still developing and thus more vulnerable. Parents have to be especially vigilant about maintaining high-quality air in the house and noting days when the outside air is particularly bad.

Asthma and Air Pollution

According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and ground level ozone can all trigger asthma. The NRDC estimates that 131 million Americans have to breathe low-quality air on a regular basis. The NRDC traces many of these pollutants to power plants, cars, and factories.

Thomas H. Maugh II at the Los Angeles Times indicates that cases of asthma are becoming steadily more common in the United States. Health costs are spiraling as a result. Maugh says that in 2007, the medical costs associated with asthma reached 56 billion dollars. The NRDC estimates that 30 percent of the incidences of asthma in children can be traced to environmental exposures, and air pollution may cause healthy people to get asthma. Maugh also indicates that there are more incidences of asthma among children than incidences of asthma among adults.