Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week.
The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said.
He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated space.
Photo: Taipei Times
Chen’s elder sister, who lived downstairs, found him lying in the bathroom, while the faucet was on.
A postmortem examination confirmed that he had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Yilan County Fire Department said that carbon monoxide is an “invisible killer” at home, as the colorless, odorless gas is difficult to detect.
People who inhale carbon monoxide might feel fatigued or dizzy before losing consciousness and eventually dying, it said.
Rooftop flue-type gas water heaters, also known as outdoor water heaters, placed in poorly ventilated spaces tend to generate carbon monoxide, as the liquid petroleum gas or natural gas would burn incompletely due to insufficient oxygen, it said.
In Taiwan, gases are required to be treated with a mercaptan odorant to make leaks easier to detect, it said.
Carbon monoxide’s affinity for hemoglobin is 200 to 250 times greater than that of oxygen, meaning it would replace oxygen to bind to hemoglobin, forming carboxyhemoglobin, which reduces hemoglobin’s oxygen-carrying capacity, it said.
With not enough oxygen delivered to the tissues, symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning would ensue, such as headaches, nausea or unconsciousness, the department said, adding that death occurs in serious cases.
People who experience dizziness, nausea, drowsiness or other symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning while using a gas-fired water heater should turn the unit off immediately and open doors and windows to ventilate the area, it said.
They should call 119 if they feel seriously unwell, it added.
If a person believes someone is experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, they should also conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after calling 119, it said.
Although paramedics would conduct CPR and oxygen therapy, correctly performed CPR administered immediately is indispensable in preventing hypoxia-induced brain death, the department said.
The proper installation of gas-fired water heaters can prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide, it said.
People should buy water heaters with a CNS certification mark and choose the appropriate type based on the ventilation capacity of the space in which it is to be installed, it said.
Rooftop flue-type water heaters should be installed only in places with good ventilation, such as outdoor environments, while forced exhaust-type water heaters or forced draught balanced flue-type water heaters are recommended for poorly ventilated areas or indoor environments, it said.
To maintain good ventilation, avoid installing additional doors, windows or rain shelters that would obstruct the area around a water heater, and avoid drying a lot of clothes around a water heater, even outdoors, it said.
A water heater should be installed by a qualified technician and be regularly inspected, it added.
Only a qualified technician should replace or move a water heater, or rearrange its ducts or pipes, it said.
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