The Egyptians called him the silent killer .. How do you avoid gas heater disasters?

Just a few hours after their wedding ceremony, their souls overflowed with gas suffocation while they were bathing, thus summarizing the story of two newlyweds in an Egyptian city, which began with joy, dancing and songs, and ended hours later with sadness that occupied the hearts of their families.

This bitter story was not the first nor the only one. The accident pages in the newspapers are full of brides, mothers and whole families who died of suffocation due to the leakage of water heater gas while taking a shower, until the Egyptians called him the "silent killer."

How can a gas leak be avoided?

And what are the best places to install the heater?

Why do Egyptians accept the use of gas heaters instead of those powered by electricity, despite the danger of the first?

Safety requirements

Mahmoud Abdel Mutaal, a gas installation technician in a gas distribution company, confirmed that his company has set several requirements that must be taken into account when installing the natural gas heater inside the bathroom, the first of which is that the bathroom area should not be less than 5.6 meters in order to allow a distance for the quantities of oxygen needed for breathing.

Abdel-Mutaal added - in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that the company also stipulated that there is sufficient space between the heater and the ceiling to allow the installation of the chimney (a pipe to transport the exhaust outside), and it is not recommended to install heaters without it, and the necessity of having a hatch for the chimney and another for the hobby that performs a permanent renewal of the air in the place. And the necessity for it to be close to the lighthouse or the street, and it is more preferable to ride outside the bathroom or on the balcony.

The company also stipulated to ensure that citizens would not fall victim to an additional problem represented by gas leakage as a result of the flame being extinguished, that the gas torch should be at eye level, to allow the user to monitor the continuation of the flame and not to extinguish it to ensure that no leakage.

And it must always make sure that the color of the flame is blue, and if the person notices otherwise, he should hurry up closing the gas source immediately, and if the blue color repeatedly disappears and the flame appears orange, then let him call for maintenance.

Syndrome

The Poison Center of Ain Shams University Hospitals identified the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from the operation of gas heaters by feeling severe and persistent headache, dizziness with severe fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, nausea, and blurred vision.

Dr. Majid A., a doctor at the center, explained to Al-Jazeera Net that the danger of carbon monoxide is that it has neither odor nor color, which explains the high death rate in cases exposed to it to more than 50%.

Inhaling a large amount of exhaust from the heater causes nerves to relax and paralyze the ability to move, which makes it more difficult to seek help from those with him in the house to rescue him, and this is the main reason for the low chances of survival, as he put it.

The doctor at the Poison Center indicated the measures to be taken with those who were exposed to carbon monoxide, with the necessity of exposing them to open air and speeding up contact with a poison center, while performing artificial respiration for the injured.

Other deadly sources

The doctor at the Poison Center warned against not paying attention to other sources of carbon monoxide, such as charcoal grills in the home, and those resulting from burning firewood for heating, as happens in the countryside.

All of this results in gas, which causes major problems for the brain and nervous system, and the patient may suffer from permanent disability if he survives death.

While respiratory disease specialist Ihab Omar explains to Al-Jazeera Net how poisoning occurs when exposed to large amounts of geyser exhaust, as carbon monoxide accumulates in the blood, so the body replaces the oxygen in blood cells with carbon monoxide.

This replacement leads to tissue damage and quickly leads to brain damage and heart damage, with complications that pose a great threat to life, he said.

Between gas and electric heater

All the opinions of the Egyptian citizens who were polled by Al-Jazeera Net correspondent agreed on the insistence of many to acquire a gas heater - without the one running on electricity - despite the many incidents that are published permanently for its victims.

Their answers came that Egyptians prefer a gas heater over an electric heater, due to the large and exorbitant electricity bill that comes to them every month, especially since it has witnessed price jumps in recent years, and that the gas bill is much less than electricity, according to their opinion.

Muhammad Abu Al-Saud - a dealer of household electrical appliances - said that there is almost an agreement between the people of those who are about to get married on the necessity of acquiring a gas heater, and that he witnessed disagreements, but they are few when agreeing to buy the heater in particular, as those who are sided with buying it reassure their fear of its danger with a word. They keep clear of them ... and our Lord conceal. "

Abu Al-Saud expressed to Al-Jazeera Net his preference for the electric heater even if it will increase the bill, but it is safer, especially in Egyptian apartments, which are mostly characterized by their small size and lack of adequate ventilation areas that greatly increase the risk of exposure to carbon monoxide gas, and that many do not know the necessity of the chimney to discharge the exhaust And hobby.

The danger of carbon monoxide lies in the fact that it has no odor or color, which explains the high death rate in cases exposed to it to more than 50%.

gas leaking

Gas (cooking gas) users in homes face another problem, which is gas leakage, and perhaps without early attention, it causes poisoning cases no less dangerous than the heater exhaust.

Ibrahim Alyan works for a company that delivers gas to homes. He advises several steps to be taken upon discovering a gas leak, the most important of which is closing the main gas switch and opening the windows with a quick exit from the leakage site.

The next step - Alayyan says to Al-Jazeera Net - is to contact the emergency department of the competent authority to deal with the incident, and the specialists will provide him by phone with what needs to be done, and in all cases the person must remain outside the home or the place of leakage and not rush in until help arrives.

Elyan warns of several dangerous things that should not be done under any circumstance, such as for curiosity to push him to search for the location of the leak and try to stop it, or to use the phone in the same place or open or close the lights that may cause an explosion as a result of the small spark that is produced during the lighting process or Extinguishing.

Early detection of a leak

While Yasser Taha, a technician in the installation and maintenance of gas and butane, identifies matters that the citizen should pay attention to, to early detection of gas leaks in general, which may start small, the most important of which is smelling a smell that resembles the smell of rotten eggs or sulfur.

The same applies to hearing a whistling sound near the source of the gas, or seeing what looks like fog near the pipes, and also the plants wilting if they were in or near the house - or their death without usual causes, as well as the presence of bubbles over the stagnant water, according to Taha’s interview with Al-Jazeera Net.