Taking Care of Business: CO Poisoning Kills Sisters, Why?
Two sisters, ages 29 and 25, died last week in Ohio, victims of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. They went to check on a home that one had just purchased and had been using a gas generator to keep a sump pump running in the basement. Apparently the build-up of CO from the unvented generator quickly overcame them and they could not escape.
One of the sisters had three children under the age of six. I debated this topic with some industry professionals who I often visit with at Dan Holohan’s “Wall” (www.heatinghelp.com). And many came to the conclusion that the sisters were ultimately to blame for their own deaths. They should have known better because placing a gas generator in an unvented area is something everyone should recognize as a no-no.
That is flawed logic.
Even if the generator manufacturer had warning labels on the product, is that enough to warn someone who knows little, if anything, about CO? Should friends or family have known better and warned the women of the imminent danger they faced?
In other words, should the old saying of “being your brother’s keeper” apply in this case?
I emphatically say, YES.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all of us to educate and warn the public - through constant bombardment of information as well as new warning devices from manufacturers.
How about fluorescent orange coloring with warnings in big block letters on a permanent tag affixed to the generator?
How about all of us showing our moral responsibility so that little children don’t lose their mother?
One of the sisters had three children under the age of six. I debated this topic with some industry professionals who I often visit with at Dan Holohan’s “Wall” (www.heatinghelp.com). And many came to the conclusion that the sisters were ultimately to blame for their own deaths. They should have known better because placing a gas generator in an unvented area is something everyone should recognize as a no-no.
That is flawed logic.
Even if the generator manufacturer had warning labels on the product, is that enough to warn someone who knows little, if anything, about CO? Should friends or family have known better and warned the women of the imminent danger they faced?
In other words, should the old saying of “being your brother’s keeper” apply in this case?
I emphatically say, YES.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all of us to educate and warn the public - through constant bombardment of information as well as new warning devices from manufacturers.
How about fluorescent orange coloring with warnings in big block letters on a permanent tag affixed to the generator?
How about all of us showing our moral responsibility so that little children don’t lose their mother?