By Simson L. Garfinkel
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that can cause instant death in high enough concentrations. It binds to the hemoglobin in the blood, making it unable to perform its function: carrying oxygen to your body.
Until recently, the best affordable CO detector was a plastic card with a red spot in its center. If the red spot got dark, carbon monoxide was in the room. That darkened red spot could save your life – if you happened to notice it before you lost consciousness.
Now there's a better way. The Electronic Carbon Monoxide Detector is the size of a paperback book and hangs from a 110-volt outlet. It sounds a shrieking 85-decibel alarm if it detects CO in dangerous concentrations.
This unit isn't perfect: it won't detect carbon monoxide levels lower than 100 parts per million – still high enough to cause headaches with persistent exposure but not enough to cause death. On the other hand, any exposure to this poisonous gas is too much.
It's only a matter of time before CO detectors become a mandatory part of building and housing laws like smoke detectors. But why wait? Get one of these today, to prevent your next sound sleep from being your last.
Electronic Carbon Monoxide Detector: US$49.95. American Sensors Electronics Inc.: (800) 387 4219, +1 (905) 477 3320.
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