The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-13
ADVICE ON
: SAFET Y
GIVEN
Bureauo+ Standards Warns of
Carbon Monoxide Danger
From Cheap Fixtures.
BY GEORGE FRANKLIN,

By GEORGE FRANKLIN.
Efforts to determine the eff
fects of carbon monoxide, the
deadly gas given off where i'm
properly constructed gas burning
appliances are used, ere being
made by the Public Health
Service. While its lethal char
acter is established, it is not
known what effects are produced
by the continued ABSORPTION of
this gas in small quantities, such
% found existing where defective
or improperly constructed gas
burners are in use for heating
and cooking purposes.
100000 Use Gas.
Statistics show that approx.
mately 100000 American fani-
lies use natural or artificial gas
for cooking and illuminating pur-
poses. Investigations under the di.
rection Of the Bureau of Standards,
made during the past two years,
show that in the thousands of cases
where consumers complain of in
ferior gas quality and unsatisfac.
tory service, the trouble is trace.
able to the faulty construction of
the gas burning appliances in use.
AS the importance Of proper com.
bustion is understood by bureau
experts, who recognize that with
the appliances now in use there is
always a generating Of the poison
Gus carbon moaoxide gas, it has
been determined to ascertain it's
cumulative effect on the human
being.
ut would be an injustice to init
mate that the gas companies are
indifferent to the Importance OF
the best service they are capable
OF giving consumers, or to suppose
they are ignorant of the fact that
in many instances the complaints
OF consumers are traceable to the
use Of faulty appliances in burn
ing gas" said 1. v. Brumbaugh,
associate gas engineer, Bureau Of
Standards, today:
Willing to Aid.
''In addition it must be conceded
that they are only too willing to
do everything in their power TO
aid consumers in selecting proper
appliances and seeing them. prop
erly installed. But the trouble is
that properly constructed aapph- |
aElces for burning gas. either for
are difficult to find. 1t was this
condition which suggested to the
bureau the advisability of stand
ardizing such appliances. an effort
It is found manufacturers are will
ing to cooperate in and are dong
what they can to advance.
Walter NJ. Berry, gas engineer
in chief of the bureau, corroborated
the statements of his assistant.
adding that, while the work OF
standardizing such equipment had
hardly been started, nothing so i'm
portant as proper gas burning ap-
pliances could escape scientific de-
Velopment and proper installation
when the importance Of the subject
is understood by manufacturers
and gas companies.
In speaking of carbon monoxlde,
the deadly fumes generated Where
improper appliances are used In
gas burning. 1. V. Brumbaugh said:
1.-THE danger Of carbon monoxide
lies in the fact that it is odorless
and can be absorbed in small
quantities without it's effect being
noticed at first. But in connection
with it I have observed that where
it is being generated, from what
ever cause, it is invariably accom-
tectable and more or less ob1ec-
tionable.
OdOr Is Danger Signal.
I'm living rooms and kitchenettes
when an odor is perceptable, the
safe thing to do is to open a win
dow and let in fresh air. The dis
agreeable odor can be accepted as a
red flag signal that the deadly gas
is present and while it may be in
apparently harmless quantity, the
fact that it is being inhaled should
cause every precaution to be taken
to guard against it.
There is another indicator 1t is
we'll to watch. When the oxygen
in a room is lowered through gas
burning the humidity increases. In
time this will appear as mist on
window panes. When the glass in
the window steams over it means
that the oxygen in the room has
been lowered. When low enough
the gas flame is extinguished, leaV-
ing the gas flowing. That is bad
enough. But while the dropping of
the oxygen goes on combustion of