Re: CO exposure in my office causing cognitive damage

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Carol:

Couple thoughts:

The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety
(NIOSH) has considerable info on the effects of carbon monoxide
(CO)exposure. They recommend that workplace exposures not exceed
35 ppm, as an average, for an 8 hour day. The OSHA standard
(law) is a little higher, 50 ppm as an average for an 8 hour
day. I don't know what the local fire dept policies might be, so
can't comment on them.

A consideration, and something to explore, is where the person
did the testing. Room air near your desk/work area, or in the
flue pipe, or combustion chamber area. The concentration could
be much higher near the source, and reduced in your work area.
Test location matters.

Blood test is the way to go, but with the passage of more than a
few hours becomes less useful.

CO is a very toxic gas. Most people experience headache at 35 to
50 ppm. Other symptoms show up at higher levels. Death can occur
at levels north of about 1000 ppm. NIOSH recommends a 'ceiling'
or max exposure concentration of 200 ppm.

Google search "NIOSH Carbon Monoxide" and look around, or better
yet, go to the url below, for lots of info.

http://www.cdc.gov/search.do?action=search&queryText=carbon+and+monoxide&x=0&y=0

Sorry v, hair and body parts wont do it.

Best Regards,

mary

On 10/09/04, v wrote:
> On 10/07/04, Carol E Skog wrote:
>> Co was measured at 192PPM with a cracked heat exchanger with
rusted sieve holes, incomplete combusiton, sooty, mis firing,
and a bees nest in the air flue. I have cognitive damage as I
sat 6' from teh HVAC. The HVAC said in his deposition that he
measured CO in the 190's but that he lost his instrument and
didn't know if the reading was correct as he wasn't sure that he
calibrated it. He did npt phone the Fire Dept and I have now
learned that 35ppm is action level for them to be called. I di
not go to the HSPT but went home and slept. I phoned my DR 2
days later and he said it was too late for a blood test. CAn
anyone help?
>
>
> Im going way out on a limb here. i'm not a doctor, or an
attorney. but it is my understanding, that most if not all
things we are exposed to show up in hair, or folicals. you may
want to ask an independent lab for there opinion on that.