Re: Can I be getting sick from gas stove? Carbon monoxide and more

[Guest guest]

Friends and Colleagues:

Reading the threads on the Digest, it appears that no one has mentioned

NOx, the, nitrogen oxides that are produced when burning a fossil fuel.

(Most emissions are originally NO but they can be converted to NO2 .)

NO2 is a respiratory irritant at low levels.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tfs/guidee.html#Nitrogen Oxides (NO, NO2)

and http://www.epa.gov/iaq/no2.html. Children in homes with gas stoves

have more respiratory symptoms.

This only occurs with burning the fuels, and has nothing to do with a

possible sensitivity to natural gas itself, which dominated yesterday's

thread.

Henry Slack

US EPA Region 4

[Guest guest]

Norm, Carol didn't say gas was coming out of pipe. Its just one thing she is

investigating. Henry was saying the NO could be a problem w use of combustible

gas equipment.

>

> Henry:

> I understand that it is the process of combustion of a compound containing

> no nitrogen (natural gas) that produces the NOx. According to my reading,

> in fossil fuel combustion, nitrogen is taken from the atmosphere and

> combined with oxygen to produce NOx. Thus if a person gets reactions from

> natural gas, it is impossible that this can be attributed to the gas coming

> out of the pipe.

[Guest guest]

How would one check to see that gas burning equipment was getting rid of the by

products of burning the gas? When I had my furnace serviced a month ago, they

checked the exhaust outside...said it was 17% and that was okay..something like

that. I wondered why he checked it outside and not inside.

>

> Reading the post about the oxides of nitrogen,

>

>

> I'm reminded of the results from the Harvard School of Public Health's Six

Cities Study that, among other things,

>

[Guest guest]

Things don't always work the way they are designed to or are installed properly.

Maybe the furnace service person could have checked this. I can call them and

see if they will check inside.

>

> outside air for combustion of the gas and exhausts the burned gas back to

> the outside. A furnace with an intact heat exchanger and exhaust pipe will

> not blow any combustion products into the living space.

>

>

[Guest guest]

She didn't say she had a sensitivity to unburned gas. She just said she *didn't

feel well and doesn't know why so is investigating. She first noticed it in

kitchen where there is stove so her first guess was products after burning, then

I mentioned unburned gas can cause trouble so she's looking in to that. Henry

was bringing subject back to a byproduct of combustion not previously

mentioned. Must keep up w the subject if you want to correct people.

>>

> My point was that natural gas as it arrives at the house has no nitrogen.

> If sensitivity to unburned gas is noticed, it cannot be because of the NOx.

[Guest guest]

Curtis, Furnace service person tested air coming out of exhaust from my energy

efficient furnace that comes out the side of house (unfortunately...bec the

exhaust has killed plants in immediate vicinity). That was location of 17%. I

am interested and will call for explanation. Thanks

>

> Barb,

> The most common method to check a gas burning appliance for proper venting is

to check the air by the appliance with a direct reading carbon monoxide

detector. Keep in mind that gas water heaters and furnaces are vented to the

outdoors. Gas ranges/ovens