Wikipedia

Kerosene.

An Australian kerosene bottle, containing blue-dyed kerosene.

Kerosene is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros ( wax).
The word "Kerosene" was registered as a trademark by Abraham Gesner in 1854, and for several years, only
the North American Gas Light Company and the Downer Company (to which Gesner had granted the right)
were allowed to call their lamp oil "Kerosene" in the United States.It eventually became a genericized
trademark. It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage. The term "kerosene" is usual in
much of Canada, the United States, Australia andNew Zealand. It can be referred to colloquially as "kero".
 Kerosene is usually called paraffin in the UK, Southeast Asia and South Africa. A more
viscous paraffin oil is used as a laxative. A waxy solid extracted from petroleum is called paraffin wax.
Kerosene is widely used to power jet engines of aircraft (jet fuel) and some rocket engines, but is also
commonly used as a cooking and lighting fuel and for fire toys such as poi. In parts of Asia, where the price of
kerosene is subsidized, it fuels outboard motors on small fishing boats.

Kerosene lamps are widely used for lighting in rural areas of Asia and Africa where electrical
distribution is not available or too costly for widespread use. Kerosene lamps consume an estimated 77 billion
litres per year, equivalent to 1.3 million barrels of oil per day.

Kerosene in some jurisdictions such as the U.S. is legally required to be stored in a blue container to
avoid it being confused with the much more flammable gasoline, which is typically kept in a red container. In
other jurisdictions, such as Europe, there are no specific requirements for the storage of kerosene other than
the container has to be closed and marked with its contents.

Dari U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration

2002
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. Although it
has no detectable odor, CO is often mixed with other gases that do have an odor. So, you can
inhale carbon monoxide right along with gases that you can smell and not even know that CO is
present.
CO is a common industrial hazard resulting from the incomplete burning of natural gas
and any other material containing carbon such as gasoline, kerosene, oil, propane, coal, or wood.
Forges, blast furnaces and coke ovens produce CO, but one of the most common sources of
exposure in the workplace is the internal combustion engine.

How does CO harm you?

Carbon monoxide is harmful when breathed because it displaces oxygen in the blood and
deprives the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. Large amounts of CO can overcome
you in minutes without warningcausing you to lose consciousness and suffocate.
Besides tightness across the chest, initial symptoms of CO poisoning may include
headache, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea. Sudden chest pain may occur in people with
angina. During prolonged or high exposures, symptoms may worsen and include vomiting,
confusion, and collapse in addition to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness. Symptoms
vary widely from person to person. CO poisoning may occur sooner in those most susceptible:
young children, elderly people, people with lung or heart disease, people at high altitudes, or
those who already have elevated CO blood levels, such as smokers. Also, CO poisoning poses a
special risk to fetuses.
CO poisoning can be reversed if caught in time. But even if you recover, acute poisoning
may result in permanent damage to the parts of your body that require a lot of oxygen such as the
heart and brain. Significant reproductive risk is also linked to CO.
Who is at risk?
You may be exposed to harmful levels of CO in boiler rooms, breweries, warehouses,
petroleum refineries, pulp and paper production, and steel production; around docks, blast
furnaces, or coke ovens; or in one of the following occupations:
Welder
Garage mechanic
Firefighter
Carbon-black maker
Organic chemical synthesizer
Metal oxide reducer
Longshore worker
Diesel engine operator
Forklift operator
Marine terminal worker
Toll booth or tunnel attendant
Customs inspector
Police officer
Taxi driver.

What can you do if you suspect someone has

been poisoned?
When you suspect CO poisoning, promptly taking the following actions can save lives:
Move the victim immediately to fresh air in an open area.
Call 911 or another local emergency number for medical attention or assistance.
Administer 100-percent oxygen using a tight-fitting mask if the victim is breathing.
Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation if the victim has stopped breathing.

Warning: You may be exposed to fatal levels of CO poisoning in a rescue attempt. Rescuers
should be skilled at performing recovery operations and using recovery equipment. Employers
should make sure that rescuers are not exposed to dangerous CO levels when performing rescue
operations.

How can employers help prevent CO poisoning?

To reduce the chances of CO poisoning in your workplace, you should take the following
actions:
Install an effective ventilation system that will remove CO from work areas.
Maintain equipment and appliances (e.g., water heaters, space heaters, cooking ranges) that
can produce CO in good working order to promote their safe operation and to reduce CO
formation.
Consider switching from gasoline-powered equipment to equipment powered by electricity,
batteries, or compressed air if it can be used safely.
Prohibit the use of gasoline-powered engines or tools in poorly ventilated areas. U.S.
Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2002
Provide personal CO monitors with audible alarms if potential exposure to CO exists.
Test air regularly in areas where CO may be present, including confined spaces. See Title 29
of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.146.
Install CO monitors with audible alarms.
Use a full-face piece pressure-demand self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) certified by
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), or a combination full-
facepiece pressure demand supplied-air respirator with auxiliary self contained air supply in
areas with high CO concentrations, i.e., those immediately dangerous to life and health
atmospheres. (See 29 CFR 1910.134.)
Use respirators with appropriate canisters for short periods under certain circumstances where
CO levels are not exceedingly high.
Educate workers about the sources and conditions that may result in CO poisoning as well as
the symptoms and control of CO exposure.
In addition, if your employees are working in confined spaces where the presence of CO is
suspected, you must ensure that workers test for oxygen sufficiency before entering.

What can employees do to help prevent CO

Poisoning?
Employees should do the following to reduce the chances of CO poisoning in the workplace:
Report any situation to your employer that might cause CO to accumulate.
Be alert to ventilation problemsespecially in enclosed areas where gases of burning fuels
may be released.
Report promptly complaints of dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea.
Avoid overexertion if you suspect CO poisoning and leave the contaminated area.
Tell your doctor that you may have been exposed to CO if you get sick.
Avoid the use of gas-powered engines, such as those in powered washers as well as heaters
and forklifts, while working in enclosed spaces.
Dari http://www.carbonmonoxide.ie/

What is Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide (also known as CO) is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas and is a
common yet preventable cause of death from poisoning worldwide. Approximately half of the
deaths from unintentional CO poisonings result from the inhalation of smoke from fires. Other
significant causes are vehicle exhausts and deaths in industrial / commercial settings. On average
between 1 and 2 people die each year in Ireland from unintentional CO poisoning in the home in
incidents related to domestic heating or other fossil fuel installations in the home (i.e. excluding
the inhalation of smoke from fires).

The incomplete combustion of organic fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal is a common
environmental source of CO and is responsible for many cases of non-fatal unintentional CO
poisoning.

In normal conditions the combustion process (the addition of oxygen) will result in carbon in the
fossil fuel, combining with oxygen, in the air, to produce Carbon Dioxide (CO2), the same
substance we exhale when we breathe.

However, if there is a lack of air for the combustion process or the heating appliance is faulty,
Carbon Monoxide can be produced.

When CO is inhaled into the body it combines with the blood, preventing it from absorbing
oxygen. If a person is exposed to CO over a period, it can cause illness and even death.

Carbon Monoxide has no smell, taste or colour. This is why it is sometimes called the "Silent
Killer".

Carbon Monoxide alarms can be used as a backup to provide a warning to householders

in the event of a dangerous build up of CO. Check that the Carbon Monoxide alarm complies
with the EN 50291 standard. Remember that Carbon Monoxide alarms are no substitute for
regular inspection and maintenance of appliances, vents, flues and chimneys.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Causes of CO Poisoning

You can be in danger of Carbon Monoxide poisoning at home if dangerous amounts of Carbon
Monoxide accumulate in the home. This can happen as a result of any or a combination of the
following:
 Faulty or damaged heating appliances
Heating appliance not maintained or serviced
Rooms not properly ventilated
Blocked chimneys or flues
Indoor use of a barbecue grill or outdoor heater
Poor installation of heating appliances
Improper operation of heating appliances
Property alterations or home improvements, which reduce ventilation
Running engines such as vehicles or lawnmowers in garages
Using cooking appliances for heating purposes

Symptoms of CO Poisoning

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning can be similar to those caused by other illnesses such
as a cold or flu. They include

Unexplained headaches, chest pains or muscular weakness

Sickness, diarrhoea or stomach pains
Sudden dizziness when standing up
General lethargy

What to Do?

If anyone in your house has any of the symptoms outlined above get fresh air immediately, then
go to your doctor and ask him/her to check for Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Stop using the appliance immediately and do not use it again until it has been checked by a
registered installer or a qualified service agent.

The amount of CO which the blood absorbs depends chiefly on two things: how much CO is in
the air and the time of the exposure. Adverse effects of CO on humans are reduced by periods of
breathing fresh air. The degree of recovery depends on the number and length of those periods.
The general state of health and degree of physical activity of a person exposed to CO are other
factors involved in the effects of Carbon Monoxide on the body.

Physiological Effects of Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Parts per Million Time of Exposure Response
50 Threshold limit, no apparent toxic symptoms
100 Several hours No symptoms for long periods
200 2-3 hours Possible headache
400 1-2 hours Frontal headache and nausea
800 45 minutes Headache, dizziness and nausea
800 2 hours Collapse and possible unconsciousness
1600 20 minutes Headache, dizziness and nausea
1600 2 hours Collapse, unconsciousness, possible death
3200 5-10 minutes Headache and dizziness
3200 10-15 minutes Unconsciousness and possible death
6400 1-2 minutes Headache and dizziness
6400 0-15 minutes Unconsciousness and possible death
12800 Immediate Unconsciousness
12800 1-3 minutes Danger of death

If you or your family experience symptoms and you believe CO may be involved you should
seek urgent medical advice. Inform your doctor of your concerns. CO will leave the blood when
you go out into the fresh air and tests for CO may be inaccurate if taken hours after the exposure
has ceased.

Again, if you find a person ill or unconscious near any fuel burning appliance, be careful in case
you also become a casualty. Get fresh air immediately by opening windows and doors.

Safety Precautions
Ensure your appliances are correctly installed and SERVICED ANNUALLY
Ensure that rooms in your home containing heating appliances are properly ventilated -
NEVER BLOCK VENTS
Make sure all chimneys are regularly swept and kept clear
Use appliances only for the PURPOSE for which they were designed, e.g. do not use a
cooker to heat a room
NEVER use any appliance if you suspect it might be faulty
If undertaking ALTERATIONS to your home which may affect the safety or efficiency
of your heating installation (e.g. adding an extension, converting a garage, removing
internal walls, changing a living room into a bedroom, double glazing / weather sealed
doors) follow this safety advice:
o Do not block or build around any existing air vents or flues
o If creating a new living space, ensure it has ventilation in accordance with
Building Regulations
o If adding additional radiators ensure that your boiler can cope with the additional
capacity
o If you are altering or adding appliances to a natural gas or LPG installation,
ensure that work is carried out to IS813:2002 Domestic Gas Installations
 o Get professional advice on ventilation and flueing before embarking on alterations
to your house. Contact your fuel supplier for details of qualified personnel
Use Carbon Monoxide alarms but remember these are no substitute for regular inspection
and maintenance of appliances, vents, flues and chimneys.

Natural Gas

Choose room-sealed appliances. With room-sealed appliances fresh air intake for combustion
comes from outside of the house and emissions are then discharged outside also. As such, the air
in the room where the appliance is fitted is not used or affected by the appliance. Therefore
room-sealed appliances (balanced flue or fanned draught types) are recommended for new and
replacement boilers and water heaters.

Do you have an unsafe water heater?

Flueless gas water heaters are considered dangerous because they consume the air inside the
room. This causes the products of combustion - including toxic Carbon Monoxide - to discharge
directly into the room where the heater is fitted. If used for extended periods, the levels of
Carbon Monoxide can build up to dangerous levels if there is a lack of ventilation. Open flue-
type water heaters located in bathrooms are also considered unsafe

Do you have a gas boiler which previously ran on oil?

In the past, existing oil boilers were modified to operate on natural gas. This was achieved by
replacing the oil burner on the unit with a gas burner, with the old boiler casing and heat
exchanger being retained.

NEVER use any appliance if you suspect it might be faulty. Have it checked..
For new installations or alterations to existing installation always use aRegistered Gas
Installer.