Consulting-Specifying Engineer - May 2008 - (Page 43) Detecting carbon monoxide Several new regulations are on the horizon for this silent killer. CO BY KENNETH GENTILE, PE, Senior Consultant, Rolf Jensen & Assocs., Houston hen building professionals discuss carbon monoxide (CO), they’re uncertain as to where and how detection should be installed. Building owners, their design teams, and the responsible code-enforcement authorities all want direction for detector locations that will protect occupants from accumulations of CO gas. Recently, some building and life-safety codes have begun to prescribe CO detection requirements to address these uncertainties. What is certain, however, is the insidious nature of the threat. CO is an invisible, odorless killer responsible for approximately 500 non-fire CO poisoning deaths and thousands more hospitalizations each year. While many of these casualties result from vehicles or temporary structures, it is the notoriety from fatalities in apartments and publicly accessible buildings that results in code requirements. For example, a hotel incident in Key West, Fla., in 2006 raised awareness in the state’s hospitality industry, while campaigns intended to reduce the number of winter apartment fatalities in northern cities keep enforcement of CO detector requirements a priority in cities such as New York and Chicago. Sources of carbon monoxide Over the past 40 years, CO has been the subject of numerous studies. These studies describe disbursal properties, chemical behavior, physiological effects, and the statistical totals of deaths W and exposures. To determine the optimal detection methods, however, the sources of CO that infiltrate our living spaces need to be understood. CO is a normal and unavoidable gaseous product of combustion with carbon-based fuels. As a result, any facility with equipment fueled by natural gas, coal, wood, heating oil, gasoline, or diesel will generate CO. Table 1 indicates output levels from some CO sources common in and around buildings. As a known product of combustion, the installation standards for combustion equipment require proper mechanical or natural ventilation of the equipment fumes that contain CO. CO becomes a threat when it accumulates as a result of ventilation equipment that is improperly installed, obstructed, disconnected, in need of maintenance or repair, overwhelmed by improper combustion, or otherwise impaired. If any of these conditions prevent proper exhausting, the production of CO at even the lowest rates indicated in Table 1 can quickly make the occupancy untenable. While combustion equipment must be properly installed, maintained, and frequently checked for proper operation, proper installation of CO detection is the only effective method of safeguarding the occupants at all times. To be effective, placement of this detection must be completed as prescribed by adopted national or local codes and standards; or as developed from performance-based or risk-assessment methods. The following sections describe several efforts to address these placement issues. Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MAY 2008 43
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