Home Ownership In July 1982, the Product Safety Branch of Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada (CCAC) began a study into kerosene heater safety with respect to emissions, general fire and contact burn hazards. The study, initiated by a request from provincial fire officials, was intensified when the United States' Consumers Union published an article in October 1982 stating that in its view portable kerosene heaters are a hazardous product. In February 1983, CAC was contacted by CCAC to test kerosene heaters to determine their effect on indoor air quality.

CAC and CCAC testing included monitoring the levels of three gases emitted by the tested kerosene heaters: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of incomplete fuel burning. It's an odourless, colourless toxic gas that interferes with the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the cells of your body. Some people are more susceptible than others to CO: for example, pregnant women (and their fetuses), angina patients, the newborn and elderly, and people with anemia.

Carbon dioxide (C02) is the gas produced in greatest quantity when fuel is burned. It's not as harmful as carbon monoxide, but it does cause such side effects as vomiting, disorientation and hypertension. • Nitrogen oxides (NOx) form when fuel is burned at high temperatures. They affect the respiratory system, particularly the lungs. Short-term or low-level exposure can cause throat irritation. Repeated exposure may result in serious lung damage. High-level exposure, even for a short period of time, can be fatal.




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December 4, 2008