Krefeld: The fatal danger from the gas boiler

Krefeld Five people were admitted to several clinics in Krefeld with carbon monoxide poisoning.The cause was defective gases.A lack of maintenance of the devices can be life -threatening for the residents.

The danger comes without prior registration.It is colorless, tasteless, odorless - a sudden carbon monoxide increase in the room air is hardly determined and, in the worst case, can be fatal.Five people in Krefeld were lucky at the weekend.At the last second they escaped the deadly poison from the domestic gas boiler, but had to be brought to a special clinic in Düsseldorf for treatment.Everyone is on the way of improvement.The carbon monoxide risk can be minimized."A co-detector, it looks like a smoke detector, can quickly become a lifesaver," says Matthias Hufer, head of operations of the fire brigade.

It was Friday afternoon when the emergency services were called to an apartment building on Elisabethstrasse.A resident had fallen in the bathroom due to discomfort.When the fire brigade arrived, the carbon monoxide warning carried out an increased concentration of the gas in the apartment.Probably cause: a defect in the gas boiler in the bathroom.

Saturday against 15.The next alarm followed 30 a.m.: This time, a person in an apartment on Steckendorferstrasse complained about severe discomfort, also collapsed in the bathroom.There, too, the carbon monoxide warner later signaled the weir a greatly increased concentration.The young person and another person from the apartment had to go to a special clinic for treatment.As a precaution, the two as the first assisted helpers were also introduced.After a short time there was an all -clear: all five patients were able to leave the hospital.

In both cases, the weir could not say anything about the cause of the increased values yesterday."It may be important in any case that a co-detector should be installed in houses or apartments with a gas boiler," explains Hüer.As a rule, a chimney sweep checked the gas heaters once a year."It leads to exhaust gas measurement," says the fire brigade expert.The installer is responsible for the (necessary) cleaning and maintenance work.Anyone who sloppy here lives dangerously: optimal combustion is then no longer guaranteed."Pollution can lead to malfunctions and ultimately to incomplete combustion," warns Hüer.Also a - not discovered - bird nest in the fireplace can become a problem.If the deduction is no longer flawless, the gas looks for a different way.A "jellier" on the fireplace can remedy the situation permanently.Another problem with gas heating or open fireplace is the fresh air supply.This is necessary so that natural gas or wood can be burned without the formation of carbon monoxide.Some energy -saving measures are the reason why there is no longer enough air into the apartment.This changes extremely when windows were exchanged or facades were insulated.The ventilation network is no longer there, there is simply no longer enough air to the heating system - accidents are a possible consequence.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless gas that arises from incomplete combustion of carbon containing carbon.Since CO does not taste nor smell nor smell the respiratory tract, you absorb the gas unnoticed over the lungs.There it gets into the blood and binds to the red blood pigment, the hemoglobin instead of oxygen.As a consequence, organs and tissues are not sufficiently supplied with oxygen.

A slight poisoning triggers headaches, dizziness, vomiting or shortness of breath.Some feel their heart pumping faster and feel limp.With severe co -poisoning, the skin sometimes turns cherry red - at first glance it looks healthy and veiled how bad the person concerned is actually possible.If more than 70 percent of hemoglobin are occupied with CO, you die within a few minutes.