Natural Gas Poisoning and MC - please read

[Zizzle]

I always feel like crap at my in-laws house, especially in the winter. So does my husband. We've blamed it on everything from old carpeting, mold in the wet basement, bad quality food, dry heat, air fresheners, you name it. I have "sleeping sickness" when I'm there, which I blame on having other people available to deal with my kids - Mom's recovery time. I can sleep 10 hours and wake up feeling hung-over. I also develop MC flares, probably due to the gluten/dairy fest in their kitchen, but perhaps aggravated by other things.

Anyway, for years we've noticed an occasional whif of natural gas in the house - something always attributed to the "normal" stops and starts of the gas fireplace. The other night, the smell was upstairs and unmistakable. It even woke me up. So we forced my MIL to call the gas company when my FIL was not around (he's the excuse-maker that will do anything to avoid maintaining his house). 45 minutes later, the gas company had red-tagged the gas fireplace AND the furnace!! Both had leaky valves! The furnace was fixed that day, and my FIL "promised" to replace the old gas fireplace (it's cheaper than replacing the valve). Of course, he's back to using it now that we're gone. They have a gas stove, oven, and water heater too.

In my research on chronic low-level natural gas inhalation, the symptoms struck me, as they are so similar to the experiences of many people with MC. With so many people flaring as the weather gets cold, I thought I would start a poll and raise some awareness about natural gas inhalation.

You can read all about it, including a family's struggle with GI issues and allergies here:

http://www.gas-leak.org/natural-gas-poisoning.php

Symptoms of natural gas poisoning:

•Increased allergies
•Gastrointestinal Problems
•Fatigue
•Forgetfulness
•Mental Fogginess
•Asthma
•Depression
•Pain and Discomfort
•High Red Blood Cell Count
•High White Blood Cell Count
•Eczema
•High Cholesterol levels
•Pets are unexplainably ill
•Migraines

My last house had oil heat and electric everything else. I felt pretty safe there. My new house has gas heat, water and dryer, but we will soon replace it with geothermal heating and cooling and will add a professional-style gas rangetop. I'm a little nervous, having never grown up with a gas stove. But that's what's in, and the government says natural gas is "clean" and safe.

[Martha]

My house is entirely electric. I would like to have a gas stove, because of being able to adjust the heat to exactly how I want it.
We have friends who have a gas fireplace, and I get a headache whenever I'm over there and they are using the fireplace. It also makes my eyes sting. It doesn't seem to bother them, though.

[MBombardier]

You should never smell gas (that's why they make it stinky--natural gas is odorless), and if you do, it is an immediate alert to a problem. Too many people have lost their lives or have been seriously injured due to a natural gas leak that was ignored.

Carbon monoxide is another danger with the way houses are practically hermetically sealed nowadays. It is a very good idea, especially if you use gas for heat, that you have a CO2 detector. I wonder how many of those
health effects are actually from low-level CO2 poisoning.

That being said, I love using natural gas, and wish we had it now instead of expensive ol' electric. I am even okay with someday having a gas stove, since the pilot lights no longer have to be lit with a match.

[Bifcus16]

I have gas stove and gas hot water -though it is outside.

You'll learn to love your gas stove. Once you get the hang of it.

They do give you a lot more heat, and really fast control of the heat - so to start with you can expect a few vegies to get boiled dry and a few overcooked items. Then when you try cooking on electric again you will wonder how you ever managed with something that just doesn't get hot!


Lyn

[tex]

Hi Zizzle,

Actually, I think those caveats also apply to liquefied petroleum, (LP), gases, as well, (IOW, butane and propane). Out in the country, natural gas is not available, so we use LP gas, (which is actually propane, these days). In fact, the risk of a leak with LP gas is higher than with NG, because it operates at a much higher vapor pressure, at any given temperature. I've always used LP gas, (except for a few years when I lived in the city of Austin, so I wasn't sure how to respond to your poll, so I didn't, (yet). FWIW, I sleep with electric heat only.

I also agree with Marliss that CO poisoning can cause most of those symptoms, (I'm guessing that she actually meant to say carbon monoxide poisoning, rather than CO2 poisoning). So how do you want me to respond to the poll?

Tex

[MBombardier]

Yes, Tex, I meant CO rather than carbon dioxide. I get water and hydrogen peroxide mixed up, too. I also get left and right mixed up, so if I ever give you directions, go the other way.

[harma]

CO poisoning is very very dangerous, I think almost every year in the Netherlands one of two people dy of it. The problem with CO poisoning is, you don't notice it. It is almost always caused by inadequate heating equipment. But that is something totally different than a gas leak. A gas leak would be dangerous here of reason of explosion, don't think it would give you a headache (yes afterwards when your house is gone :-(( But that is almost impossible to miss, since it has a very strong smell.

In the Netherlands it is almost 100% natural gas. Also almost all the houses are gas heated here.

[Zizzle]

Hi Tex. Yes, I definitely think this applies to propane too.

[tex]

OK, thanks. I've voted accordingly.

Tex

[MaggieRedwings]

Total electric house and gas is not even available in our area. Also, hate gas and would not have it.

Maggie

[harma]

Yesterday in the news here, nine people in a house did get unwell, because of a CO poisoning. The cause? a heater that was not functioning very well, probably combined with a very well insulated house.

[Robbie]

I live with gas heat and gas hot water. I have always believed it could be causing more headaches. There are two detectors, though. My sister and her daughter ended up in the emergency room from a gas leak so I purchased another one so that I might feel a bit safer. Everything checks out fine so it's probably not an issue, but I've lived in this house three times and have always had more headaches than anywhere else I've lived, and it's the only place I've lived with gas anything.

[Mags]

I no longer use the gas heater in my apartment. I noticed last winter that it gave me headaches, nausea, etc., as soon as I walked in the door. As Tex said, for those of us who live in rural areas (beautiful northeast Georgia, in my case), LP gas is the norm; unfortunately my heater is actually open flame behind a screen.

Hey guys--If you have a gas stove, or are considering getting one---the new flat-top induction ranges are great. The heat control is amazing. Even my mom, who is a caterer, with a commercial range in her professional kitchen, loves the one in her house...

Just a thought.....

Mags