Carbon monoxide Poisoning

 Written by: Mir Aqa Itebar

Many Afghans use gas heaters for warming their rooms in winter and some of them cook foods on the heater inside rooms and sometimes, misuse or using broken gas cause serious problems. If the gas balloon is leaked, carbon monoxide poisoning occurs.

In such cases, carbon monoxide builds up in our bloodstream. When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, our body replaces the oxygen in our red blood cells with carbon monoxide. This could lead to serious tissue damage or even death.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about carbon monoxide poisoning.

Raihanullah, a resident of Kabul city says, “One of our neighbors was using the gas heater for warming room in the winter. One night he had kept on the gas heater the whole night and carbon monoxide poisoning  caused the death of two children and other members of the family were poisoned by carbon monoxide and they got their health back after the neighbors took them to the hospital.”

Samiullah, a resident of Paktia province says, “One of our relatives got married in the winter and they turned on a gas heater for warming the room the whole night. The next day, they did not come out of their room. When the groom’s family knocked on the door, no one replied. Then they broke the door and found that bride and groom were dead.”

What do some people think about the causes of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Rahmanuddin, a resident of Kabul province says, “I had caught a cold and my nose was blocked and could not sense the smell of gas and had wrapped my head in the blanket and the gas heater was turned on in my room. I was not able to get up in the morning and I was suffering from nausea and could not call to anyone to help me.”

Ruhullah says, “The gas sensor of our gas heater was broken and my mother was preventing me from turning it on but I did not accept. Late at night, we all felt headaches. At that time, a guest came to our house and he told us that we are poisoned by carbon monoxide.”

How do people prevent carbon monoxide poisoning?

Kashif, a resident of Paktia province says, “We use charcoal and gas heater in the winter for warming rooms. We use gas stoves for our guests but we pay more attention not to be poisoned by carbon monoxide. For example, if we have a guest, we turn off the stove when the guest goes to sleep and keep the gas heater and its balloon outside the room. If we sense a smell of gas, we open the door and windows of the room for a while and check the gas balloon and heater. We have not suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning yet.”

A mother, Zubaida says, “I never let my children turn on the gas heater in our absence. Before using a gas heater, I regularly check the gas balloon and heater, if any of them is not broken. After warming the room, I turn it off and keep the heater and gas balloon outside the room.”