6A the university daily kansan
news
friday,january 23,2004
Carbon monoxide poisoning a risk
By Matthew Rodriguez
mrdriguelz@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Natalie Patrick, Lenexa senior, has asked her landlord to service her furnace several times during the past two years.
The 100-year-old gravity furnace has several cracked and unattached ducts sending heat through the house.
"It's like basically trying to heat the house with a camp fire," Patrick said.
Her landlord told her the furnace was maintained four years ago and to forget about it. But Patrick is afraid that her antique furnace might be leaking carbon monoxide throughout the house.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported the risk of indoor carbon
"When you go to shut the windows up because it's cold outside, that's when the carbon monoxide can accumulate."
John White Cloud Heating and Air Conditioning
monoxide poisoning increases during the winter season.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless combustion byproduct. Any fuel burning appliance can conceivably be a source of carbon monoxide, said John White, operations manager for Cloud Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., 920 E. 28th St.
"When you go to shut the windows up because it's cold outside, that's when the carbon monoxide can accumulate." White said.
The symptoms for carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to those associated with the flu: headaches, fatigue and vomiting. High exposure to carbon monoxide can result in death, said Rich Barr, Lawrence fire marshal.
"If you're feeling sick when you're in your home, but begin to feel better when you leave, you should leave the house and have a professional look at it," Barr said.
The fire department recommends that furnaces be inspected annually by qualified technicians.
"The best thing to do is buy a carbon monoxide detector and watch your health." Barr said.
Carbon monoxide detectors start around $30.
PREVENTING CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
Taking simple precautions can decrease the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in your home or apartment.
— Edited by Danielle Hillix
Clean chimneys and furnaces once a year.
Look at the furnace pilot light. If it's a blue pilot light, it's a clean flame. An orange pilot light lacks combustion and is an indicator of carbon monoxide.
Choose vented appliances whenever possible.
Do not use ovens and gas ranges to heat your home.
Use kerosene space heaters and unvented gas heaters only in well-ventilated rooms.
Cosmosphere wants to take exhibits on road
The Associated Press
HUTCHINSON The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is putting together its first traveling exhibit, part of an effort to expand its educational mission and capitalize on renewed interest in the space program.
The exhibit, called "We Choose to Go to the Moon," will chronicle the race to the moon between the United States and Soviet Union, said Jim Remar, vice president of museum operations.
The traveling exhibit will include nearly 100 items, including full-scale replicas of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft, personal equipment from Russian and American missions and a 29-foot-tall replica of a lunar module.
Although the design of the exhibit is final, it won't be built until another museum agrees to host it, Remar said, adding that the exhibit will require at least 8,000 square feet of exhibition space.
Remar said the exhibit was designed to take the visitor through the launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik to the American lunar landings.
"The race to the moon captured the imagination and enthusiasm of two nations," Remar said. "They threw in their entire country's resources to capture an advantage to get to the moon first."
The exhibit is being marketed to museums in mid-sized and major cities, said Betty Simecka, vice president of marketing for Sunflower Exhibitions, the company promoting the exhibit.