Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

jbeletti

Well-known member
Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning while operating your RV include:
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Flu-like symptoms
High levels of CO poisoning can be permanently disabling or fatal

Source: MTI Industries
 

123camper

Well-known member
This morning in Nashville they found a couple dead in their rv at the KOA. News said they had accidentally left a stove burner on and suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Wonder what happened to the detector. Neighbors said they smelled a strong odor of gas. How sad


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JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
35ppm Headache/dizziness w/in 6-8hrs of constant exposure
100ppm Slight headache in 2-3 hours
200ppm Slight headache in 2-3 hours
400ppm Frontal Headache w/in 1-2 hours
800ppm Dizziness, nausea and convulsions w/in 45 minutes
1,600ppm Headache, dizziness, nausea w/in 20 minutes. Death within 2 hours
3,200ppm Headache, dizziness, nausea w/in 20 minutes. Death within 30 minutes
6,400ppm Headache, dizziness, nausea w/in 1-2 minutes. Death in less than 20 minutes
12,800ppm Unconsciousness after 2-3 breaths. Death in less than 3 minutes (above this level, it is also flammable)

Carbon monoxide is colorless, tasteless and just slightly lighter than air. Your best defense is a functioning CO detector and checking all systems that use combustible materials for fuel.
 

porthole

Retired
Just my 2 cents, an early symptom of CO poisoning should be a pain on the ear drum caused be a properly functioning CO detector.
 

Lou_and_Bette

Well-known member
Sorry to be a stickler for important info but, leaving a propane gas valve open will not result in CO poisoning. There must be a burning of some type fuel, usually a petroleum product, where there is no/inadequate venting of the fumes from such combustion. This could be from a generator where the fumes are venting into a confined space. Propane gasses that are not combusted will lead to death if in a confined space since they will displace available oxygen but usually this problem leads to an explosion
 
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kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
Sorry to be a stickler for important info but, leaving a propane gas valve open will not result in CO poisoning. There must be a burning of some type fuel, usually a petroleum product, where there is no/inadequate venting of the fumes from such combustion. This could be from a generator where the fumes are venting into a confined space. Propane gasses that are not combusted will lead to death if in a confined space since they will displace available oxygen but usually this problem leads to an explosion

Exactly! I suspect it was propane poisoning which results in asphixiation. Especially since police first on the scene said there was a strong odor of gas...carbon monoxide is odorless and propane, which is also odorless has an added odorant.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Then the LP gas detector should have been blaring, unless it was so old as to be non-functional and their noses desensitized to the stench of mercaptan. Something has to be burning in order to generate carbon monoxide and the combustion has to be incomplete. A yellow flame on the stove, if left on, will generate CO, but enough to kill would take some doing. A faulty furnace, with a breach in the heat exchanger could do it, as well.

But what do I know? I'm only a maniacal gun-toting American Advanced HazMat Technician and and instructor in Confined Space and Trench Rescue (which involves air monitoring).
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
I would venture to guess that the LP detector was not working...if it was CO the police would not have smelled "gas", or more accurately the mercaptan in the propane...and I only spend my days detecting gas leaks for a living...
 

VKTalley

Well-known member
This morning in Nashville they found a couple dead in their rv at the KOA. News said they had accidentally left a stove burner on and suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Wonder what happened to the detector. Neighbors said they smelled a strong odor of gas. How sad


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This family's RV (class A) was located two row over from where Malcolm and I are set up. Very sad indeed. We were not home when the police were here (at church) but one of our close neighbors informed us. The coach was new to them by only a week or so.
 

mobilcastle

Well-known member
This is a very sad post.
This morning in Nashville they found a couple dead in their rv at the KOA. News said they had accidentally left a stove burner on and suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Wonder what happened to the detector. Neighbors said they smelled a strong odor of gas. How sad


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

NWILSON

Kentucky Chapter Leaders - retired
I realize this may be a stretch but could a class A seal up enough that a stove burner or oven burn long enough to create enough CO and CO2 to snuff out the fire? The news article said the folks hadn't been heard from in a couple days.
My wondering is if they expired from the CO but the Propane odor was from the flame being choked out later
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
While the deaths in Nashville are sad, and regardless of the true cause of death, I believe every comment here has been productive as it gets us all talking about these safety devices in our RVs and the need to test them regularly. I'll admit to rarely testing mine. But I did yesterday.

The LP gas leak cause of death theory discussed here may be spot on - or not. But my takeaway from that: Go test your LP Gas detector. I didn't test mine yesterday when I tested my smoke and co detectors. So - this has been added to my to do list today.

Let's keep this conversation going so it stays in the What's New for a while. I've yet to check the other thread I started about testing - hoping for lively chat there too.

Duane and John - I appreciate your comments here as you guys have specialized training in this area. We can all benefit from your knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
You can remove the LP Detector from the wall and check the date of manufacture on it. Most detectors have a useful life of 5 - 7 years from that date, not the installed date. But there is no guarantee on that 5 years, either. The butane lighter test is a good one, as is having a portable gas detector in your tool kit, like the one sold by Lorest.

As to what happened to the couple in the MH, insufficient information.
 

jayc

Texas-South Chapter Leaders
This would be something else to add to the checklist for folks buying a used trailer. Some of the detectors are battery powered, others are hard wired. Easy to check before buying.
 

Lou_and_Bette

Well-known member
The LP gas leak cause of death theory discussed here may be spot on - or not. But my takeaway from that: Go test your LP Gas detector. I didn't test mine yesterday when I tested my smoke and co detectors. So - this has been added to my to do list today.
Jim, exactly my point for mentioning that CO is not the only hazard we face in these confined spaces. All detectors are there for a purpose and it is just as important to check/maintain as the other critical areas of our coaches.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Jim, exactly my point for mentioning that CO is not the only hazard we face in these confined spaces. All detectors are there for a purpose and it is just as important to check/maintain as the other critical areas of our coaches.

Lou - I think at many of our rallies this year, we should at minimum, ask attendees the question "When was the last time you tested your RV's Smoke, CO and LPG detectors". No show of hands, just a reminder in the form of a question. Then ask it again the next day and ask who found a failure and/or dead batteries - if anyone cares to share. Just to help make the point to everyone there - not to single the brave one out.

Good stuff my friends.
 

JJnVA

Well-known member
I want to add another important safety point to this discussion: being aware of what is happening around you and taking action. This past weekend at the Florida Rally, Jack and I were walking back to our rig after potluck dinner. I Heard an alarm going off in the vicinity of our BH, not ear piercing becuz Jack couldn't hear it except at close range, but it was high pitched and steady beep. Discovered it coming from the interior rear of Big Horn backed up to ours. Went back to Rally Hall and alerted owner that he had an alarm sounding. He found a stove knob had apparently been turned on without lighting the burner when his wife was trying to light their oven earlier in the day. There were no windows open and a strong smell of "burnt cabbage".

There is always possibility of an explosion in this situation that could involve everything in vicinity including human and animal lives. We should also emphasize being aware, taking action, and knowing what to do when propane is involved.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
While on the subject of safety and testing, when was the last time you tested (by operating) your emergency exits in your coach? Have you ever had a fire drill? Have you ever tried getting up in the middle of the night and tried opening the emergency exits in the dark. These questions were asked by "Mac the fire guy" at a seminar. I went back an test ours so I would know how to operate them.

BTW my CO detector is located on a slideout wall beside the theater seating. In order to test it I have to move the theater seat out. What a PITA. What engineer thought about this placement?
 

wdk450

Well-known member
I doubt the effectiveness of these life saving alarms. I would ask ANYONE on the forum who has had the LP alarm or the Carbon Monoxide alarm ring for a TRUE gas in the atmosphere situation to report this on this thread.

When my rig was new, I had a propane leak in my kitchen area and the propane alarm never rang. I think I have heard similar stories from other forum posters with noticeable (by smell) propane leaks.

Are there test gas spray cans to TRULY test these alarms??? Just pushing the alarm "test" button just tests the alarm sounder circuit and NOT the gas detectors. In the hospital I retired from, smoke detectors were tested on a schedule with a test gas.

Maybe prevention is right up there with alarm testing. I have a generator in my truck, keep the truck away from the trailer when using the generator, but have only used the generator about 5 times in 4 years. I now do most of my cooking and space heating with electricity (induction cooktop and electric space heater). My flexible propane supply hose to my kitchen slide is re-enforced against road hazard debris with thick, webbed PVC tubing.

On the fire safety front, I have installed a self-deploying Halon fire extinguisher in my refrigerator external compartment; have equipped my bedroom window with a fire escape ladder, window hold-open prop and window lower edge pillow; bought a much larger fire extinguisher for the entrance door, and moved the original extinguisher to next to the stovetop.
 
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