Dubai: As UAE residents brace themselves to tackle the dip in the mercury by using a variety of means to stay warm indoors — indoor coal and gas fires, catalytic heaters (chemical heaters that burn without a flame), car heating (where windows are rolled up for long) and indoor barbecues (with wood or coal fires) — they must be aware of the potential danger they are placing themselves in. These methods lead to the emission of carbon monoxide which, when inhaled over a prolonged period of time in an enclosed area, can be fatal.
An Indonesian housemaid was found dead in a Sharjah villa on Friday morning, as she and her co-worker lit a coal fire inside their room to keep warm. The co-worker is undergoing treatment at Al Qasimi Hospital.
Apart from the emission of carbon monoxide, burning of charcoal and wood fires indoors also results in a spike in other potentially hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ash and mercury, all of which are bad for the health. So, while carbon monoxide exposure can cause death, exposure to other gases can result in respiratory complications.
What is carbon monoxide?
The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) describes carbon monoxide (CO) as a poisonous, colourless, odourless and tasteless gas, which is why people who are exposed to it do not know they are inhaling it.
Carbon monoxide can be produced by the complete burning of any fossil fuel — natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, oil, propane, charcoal or wood.
The real cause for concern in carbon monoxide poisoning in households or labour accommodation is the burning of charcoal to keep warm. Burning coal in closed rooms raises the concentration of carbon monoxide rapidly as there is no adequate ventilation to allow the gas to escape from the room. Obviously, when the concentration goes beyond safety levels, it results in poisoning.
How does CO (carbon monoxide) harm us?
Ajay Chaturvedi, a Dubai-based Emergency Medical Services and Basic Life Support Instructor, explains, “Carbon monoxide is harmful when inhaled because it displaces oxygen in the blood, thus depriving the heart, brain, and other vital organs of it. The molecule attaches itself to the haemoglobin and obstructs absorption of oxygen causing tissue damage. Large amounts of CO can overcome you in minutes without warning, causing you to lose consciousness and suffocate, resulting in death. The reason why it is tricky to diagnose carbon monoxide poisoning is because the symptoms can be mistaken for influenza. The victim experiences headache, dizziness, nausea and drowsiness. During prolonged or high exposures, symptoms may worsen and include vomiting and confusion, in addition to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness. Symptoms vary from person to person.”
Most victims of CO poisoning light charcoal fires indoors to keep themselves warm and thus inhale large doses of it that turns out to be fatal, says Chaturvedi.
Dr Zulfikar Ali, emergency specialist at Rashid Hospital, points out that although the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning is low in the UAE compared to other Asian countries, cases go up during winter when people light charcoal fires at home and have indoor barbecues. “There are other examples such as people working in professional car garages and in the paint industry who are victims of carbon monoxide poisoning but cases of home poisoning are in significant numbers in the Asian community which is used to indoor charcoal fires as a way to keep warm in winter.
“They keep their apartments closed and the ventilation is poor. The burning charcoal causes a build-up immediately. The effect of carbon monoxide happens slowly and the only way to detect the severity of the poisoning is to know the levels of carbon monoxide in one’s blood which can only be determined by tests in a hospital. So, for people who begin to feel the discomfort in a closed room, it is advisable to get out into the open air.
“When the concentration of CO in the blood is 15 per cent, you might experience very mild symptoms; when it goes up to 20 per cent, headaches begin; by 40 per cent you start feeling dizzy and experience nausea. When the concentration increases to 70 per cent in your blood, the victim starts getting seizures and 80 per cent concentration in your blood can be fatal.”
Inside idling cars
Another habit people exhibit in cold weather is to sit or sleep inside their cars for long with the heater on, or leaving their children or family members inside a heated, idling car while they step out to run an errand. This is dangerous, warns an internal specialist. The fumes from the engine exhaust could seep in and cause asphyxiation. “When you are in a closed space without adequate ventilation, such actions could turn dangerous,” said Dr Babu Shersad, internal medicine specialist, First Medical Centre. “When carbon dioxide levels go up in the atmosphere you are breathing in, the blood becomes less effective in delivering oxygen to tissues.” Death by asphyxiation can occur very fast, depending on how much carbon dioxide was inhaled. “The skin turns a cherry red hue [because of lack of oxygen].”
Even an electric heater in a closed room is hazardous to health as it can lead to a build-up of carbon dioxide. “Always keep a vent open [to let in fresh air].”
Breathing in carbon dioxide could cause symptoms such as drowsiness and an increase in blood pressure. Exposure to C02 for five to ten minutes can cause headaches, dizziness and shortness of breath. The brain becomes foggy and the individual is not able to think clearly, he said. And, if the concentration of the gas is very high in the room, it may also lead to the person losing consciousness.
