Safety Alert: Carbon monoxide.

I would like to share what I realised while working on my bike inside the garage. I had the bike near by the garage door wide open and had the motor running to check the timing for a short period of time.
I knew the potential hazzard of CO while running an motor inside but I was confident that it was safe for a short period of time while the door was fully open. I've done that kind of work inside garage since I was a kid on motorcycle and snomobile. 

As I have a gas detector that I use at work, I decided to do a spot check ! Soon when I entered in the garage from the house, the CO alarm went on and it was showing over 35 PPM.
More than that, I checked aurond the house and found out that even the door that lead to the house was closed I had 12 PPM and on second level 5 PPM.
So, I opened few windows and waited for 15 minutes and the CO was almost the same level. It took at lest 30 minutes to get 0 PPM with window open. 

What is an acceptable level of carbon monoxide? 

• Normal (0-9 ppm): Found in clean outdoor air and well-ventilated indoor spaces.
• Moderate (10-50 ppm): Can cause mild symptoms like headaches and dizziness over prolonged exposure.
• High (70-200 ppm): Leads to severe health effects, requiring immediate action.
• 9-10 ppm for no more than 8 hours
• 25-35 ppm for no more than 1 hour
• 90-100 ppm for no more than 15 minutes

Leason learned: Never say....I've done that all my life and even in worst condition !
Because: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that has no smell, taste or colour and can only be detected with a carbon monoxide alarm (commonly known as a CO detector)
Note: I used a Honeywell BW Max. I have also a house carbon detector but I will get a secon one for the garage...and, wont start the bike inside the garage !!

Info's from:  Residential Indoor Air Quality Guideline: Carbon Monoxide
Exposure to carbon monoxide is dangerous to your health and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, and even death. Breathing carbon monoxide reduces your body's ability to carry oxygen in your blood and can affect you before you notice its presence.Carbon monoxide is produced when you burn any type of fuel, and it can be found both indoors and outdoors. It can also help to create ground-level ozone, which is harmful to human health and the environment.Carbon monoxide is lighter than air and can move freely throughout indoor spaces such as your:

• home
• garage
• shed
• cottage
• camper

Protect your health:

• Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Reduce your risk of exposure to carbon monoxide.
• Leave immediately if your carbon monoxide alarm sounds.

Reference: Some informations in this topic provided from:  Residential Indoor Air Quality Guide: Carbon Monoxide. Canada

I'm going on memory here but I think the Time weighted average concentration is 35 ppm.  At that level you can safely work for up to 8 hrs in a day or 40 hrs in a week.

hardrockminer wrote:

I'm going on memory here but I think the Time weighted average concentration is 35 ppm.  At that level you can safely work for up to 8 hrs in a day or 40 hrs in a week.

Latest spec are:  25-35 ppm for no more than 1 hour can cause mild symptoms like headaches and dizziness over prolonged exposure.

But is evreyone now how many CO present when working ?
 

I don't know where you got that information.  My number is from ACGIH.  They publish threshold limit information used in the USA and in many other countries.  Again, I'm relying on memory but I used to be quite informed on various gases encountered underground.  I think the STEL (Short Term Exposure Limit) was 100 ppm for no more than 15 min.

That said, if you're not comfortable with it you can always buy some flex ducting for your exhaust and duct it outside.

hardrockminer wrote:

I don't know where you got that information.  My number is from ACGIH.  They publish threshold limit information used in the USA and in many other countries.  Again, I'm relying on memory but I used to be quite informed on various gases encountered underground.  I think the STEL (Short Term Exposure Limit) was 100 ppm for no more than 15 min.

That said, if you're not comfortable with it you can always buy some flex ducting for your exhaust and duct it outside.


That information come from Gouvernement of Canada. The link is provided in first post...except for the maximum time and PPM level is from  CO2 Meter web site  

''While the exact short term and long term maximum carbon monoxide levels recommended for safety differ worldwide, the consensus is that:

• 9 ppm (parts-per-million) is the maximum indoor safe carbon monoxide level over 8 hours
• 200 ppm or greater will cause physical symptoms and is  fatal in hours
• 800 ppm of CO or greater in the air is fatal within minutes

Table of ContentsClick any of the links below to see each organization's safe carbon monoxide levels and exposure limits:

1. Carbon Monoxide Levels Chart
2. OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Association
3. ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
4. NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
5. ACGIH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
6. EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
7. WHO: World Health Organization
8. UL, CSA, ANSI: Underwriters Laboratories  ''