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Show Charcoal Fire Can Kill If Burned In Closed Space Glowing charcoal briquets are a pleasant and convenient method of grilling steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs and other goodies in the back yard of an evening Keep those glowing coals in your hibachi or grill where they belong in the open air In a closed space, they can kill. The problem is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by smouldering charcoal the highly lethal carbon monoxide. Medical Journals are sprinkled with reports from doctors called to treat victims of carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal grills. The victims were individuals who brought the grill inside into a camper, tightly closed tent, a room in the house, a room in a motel. Some thought the fire had burned out. Others, unaware of the danger, used the hibachi to warm the camper or lake cottage on a cool evening. Some of them never woke up The title, "The Hazardous Hibachi," comes from a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, describing in detail five deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal briquets inside a Volkswagon bus. a trailer, a station wagon and a potato cellar The journal article also mentioned five more deaths reported by other doctors And a bulletin from the National Clearing house for Poison Control Centers report on more than 30 deaths from the same cause. Charcoal is perfectly safe when used as intended, in the open air or under a proper chimney or vent, such as a stovepipe or a fireplace. The charcoal briquets available in the grocery store usually carry warning on the label against use indoors or in a closed space. One backyard chef was routed by a sudden rain squall. He carried his grill into a small tool shed to finish the cooking. His family found him dead in the shed Carbon monoxide also is a component of auto exhaust, and the potential danger of running the auto engine in a closed garage is well known and widely publicized. The hazard of the charcoal fire is less commonly known. |