Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Snowblower Safety

Since making its debut in 1925, the snowblower has made life easier for anyone who lives in a part of the world where there is plenty of snow. Instead of shoveling the white stuff by hand for hours and hours on end, you can use a snowblower which will drastically reduce the time required to clean the snow from your driveway or sidewalk. It is much more efficient than a snow shovel, but as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. A snowblower is a mighty machine that needs to be treated with a great deal of respect when being operated. You do not want to harm yourself or others while using it – be aware of snowblower safety guidelines.

Read the Snowblower Manual
It is important to learn how to operate the snowblower properly before using it for the first time. Reading the manufacturer's manual that comes with the snowblower will not only help you understand how it works and provide you with the essential operating instructions, but it will also inform you of the various potential dangers associated with the machine.

Turn off the engine before cleaning or unclogging snow
The most common injury results from trying to clear snow from parts of the snowblower. You should turn off the engine even to clear the discharge chute or any other part of the snowblower. Even with the engine off, never put your fingers in a snowblower. In terms of more serious injury, there are some cases of people being killed because they became caught in the machine, but more deaths occur due to carbon monoxide poisoning related to leaving the snowblower running in an enclosed area.

Snowblowers and Carbon Monoxide
Snowblowers that run on fuels, such as gasoline and oil, emit carbon monoxide (CO), a potentially deadly gas. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas that cannot be detected when it is lingering in the atmosphere. When you inhale the carbon monoxide, it gets into your blood stream and restricts the red blood cells from transporting oxygen to the brain, heart, and other vital organs. This dangerous gas can actually kill a person who is exposed to it for even a short period of time.

Snowblowers emit an astonishingly large amount of carbon monoxide. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a typical two-cycle snowblower can release nearly a pound of carbon monoxide for every hour it runs. To match that amount of carbon monoxide, a car would have to be driven for about 70 miles, according to Mother Earth News. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning when operating your snowblower.

How to Avoid CO Poisoning
If you own a fuel-powered snowblower, the most important thing to remember is to start the machine in a well-ventilated area in order to prevent CO poisoning. Starting it in a closed-up space such as your shed or garage is a bad idea! The carbon monoxide will remain in the closed-in proximity since it has nowhere else to go. Snowblowers must be started outside or in a well-ventilated area; so open the garage or shed door wide before starting the machine.

Snowblower safety includes not leaving the snowblower unattended after it has been turned on - even in a well-ventilated area. Remember to shut it off when it is not in use because it continues to release a significant amount of carbon monoxide as it idles in the same place for an extended period of time.

To avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, it is recommended that you purchase and install a carbon monoxide alarm. When carbon monoxide reaches a certain level in the air, the alarm will go off, enabling you to leave the premises immediately. Remember to test the alarm and replace the batteries on a regular basis.

Symptoms of CO Poisoning and What to Do
If while starting the snowblower you begin to feel sick, dizzy, or weak, you should leave the area at once and get some fresh air. These are the initial signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Call your local medical emergency number for aid. You may want to hire a carbon monoxide professional to eliminate any leftover traces of the fatal gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning is an important factor in the operation of snowblowers, and respecting snowblower safety guidelines regarding CO poisoning will ensure that no harm comes to you or your family.

About the Author: Lily Armstrong is a freelance writer and is the head researcher and content manager for http://www.carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com/.

The Facts About Hybrid Car Emissions and Global Warming

In recent years, hybrid cars have become increasingly popular. With rising gas prices and greater environmental awareness, consumers are turning to alternative technology. Manufacturers are making significant efforts to design cars that will satisfy all of their customers' demands: low fuel consumption, low cost, low noise pollution, state-of-the-art technology, and environmentally friendly. Enter the hybrid car - not only is it fuel efficient, but its emissions are much lower than conventional cars. 

Hybrid Technology

Far from being a new technology, hybrid technology has been in use for years in the making of locomotives, submarines, and buses. In a similar way, hybrid cars rely on a combination of two powers – electricity and fuel injection.

An idling or stopped hybrid car automatically uses electrical power. Once the car begins to accelerate, it reverts to using the fuel engine. Also most hybrids recharge the batteries automatically by converting the energy during braking. Different models of cars vary in terms of when the electric power is used. For example, the Honda Civic Hybrid uses electric power to assist the gas engine during acceleration or going up hills. Other models run on rechargeable electricity during city driving at low speed but run on gasoline when the car's speed increases such as during highway driving,

Low Emission

Hybrid cars emit far lower levels of pollutants in the air than conventional cars, resulting decreased pollution and reduced effects of global warming. Because no two people drive the same way, it is therefore difficult to estimate, but emissions can be reduced from 25% to 90%, when comparing hybrid cars to conventional gas-powered vehicles. Hybrid car emissions also vary depending on the type of car. Some manufacturers add hybrid technology to existing car models while other manufacturers completely redesign cars with low emission and efficiency at the core. In any case, lower toxic fumes are appreciated in our oil-based economies.

Hybrid vs. Electric

Many people associate hybrid cars with electric cars. However, the two are quite different. The hybrid does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge. Gas motors switch on automatically when the battery gets low, and proceeds to charge the battery. Therefore, hybrid cars still use gas while electric cars do not.

A Green Design

Fuel efficiency in hybrid cars stems from numerous improvements.

• Improved aero dynamics
• Lower body weight
• Smaller, lighter, and less powerful gas engines

Carbon Monoxide Exposure from Cigarettes: Just one more Reason to Quit

Cigarette smoking is a highly addictive and dangerous habit that sees millions of North Americans trying to quit everyday. Thanks to the efforts of science, a great deal more is known today about the dangers of smoking than ever before. Increased publicity has led to better education of the general public on the hazards of cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, although many smokers know that smoking can lead to lung disease and cancer, few are aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is present in every cigarette causing a legitimate threat to a person's health. Anyone who smokes, regardless of how often, should know about carbon monoxide and how it affects the body when it is inhaled.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer because it is colorless and odorless and thus virtually impossible for a human to detect. The symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure are typically seemingly harmless, which is why detection of CO poisoning often comes too late. In the body of a smoker, CO blocks the absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream from the lungs. This process has the effect of poisoning the red blood cells in a way that prevents them from carrying oxygen. When body tissues do not receive a constant and adequate supply of oxygen, they cease to function.

In the same way that a car's tail pipe releases CO, so does a lit cigarette when someone smokes it. Studies have indicated that a CO molecule more closely resembles hemoglobin than an oxygen molecule. This means that the CO found in cigarettes replaces oxygen in the blood. When this happens it becomes difficult for the red blood cells to do their job and carry oxygen throughout the body. Research has shown that a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes in an 8-hour time period will see their CO blood saturation rise to between 7 and 15 percent, thus reducing the availability of oxygen to the body. This seems especially dangerous when you consider that the normal rate of CO in the blood is between 0 and 8 parts per million.

Compared to most cases of carbon monoxide exposure, cigarette smoking appears to be the lesser threat. Smoking cigarettes typically does not create carbon monoxide levels that pose an imminent threat; however, this is not to say that the body does not suffer from exposure to the CO found in cigarettes. As an immediate effect, the CO in cigarettes can cause shortness of breath and an increased heart rate. Over time, a smoker's risk escalates and prolonged CO exposure, even at low levels, can lead to heart disease. In addition, CO in cigarettes also contributes to a buildup of fat on the artery walls. This buildup is potentially dangerous and often the cause of heart failure.

There are many dangers associated with smoking and unfortunately, many people do not realize that carbon monoxide exposure is one of them. Although carbon monoxide levels caused by cigarettes are relatively low, there are still some long and short-term risks that should be recognized. Carbon monoxide in cigarettes is just one more reason why smoking is a habit to kick!

Alexandria Haber is a freelance writer and is the head researcher and content manager for A Guide to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - www.carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com.

• Previous Posts:

• Snowblower Safety
• The Facts About Hybrid Car Emissions and Global Warming
• Carbon Monoxide Exposure from Cigarettes: Just one more Reason to Quit

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