Carbon Monoxide effects?

[jray23]

Hey all, I'll try to keep this short, wondering if I am just being anxious and overreacting...

I live in a 12-story condo, over 300 units. Several of the floors had an electrical outage (not mine) due to mechanical failure in the building. A somewhat large industrial generator was brought over to supply power until the repairs are made. The generator got setup just outside/below my unit, roughly 15 feet or so from the building (I'm on the 3rd floor) on Saturday afternoon.

Well on Saturday night and most of Sunday I was just annoyed at the sound of the motor constantly running and didn't get much sleep. But then Sunday night I began smelling something in my unit, it took a couple hours for me to connect the dots, but it's definitely fumes or fuel smell from tbe generator outside. It got so annoying that I left at 1 am and got a nearby hotel room so I could sleep in peace. So first and foremost I am safe regardless of the following...

But I'm starting to fear that there is CO coming in my unit. I have a CO/smoke detector, but long story short it isn't mounted, it's fallen a few times and I'm not 100% sure the sensor actually works. I know it's never sensed smoke when I cook... [emoji39]

I also know that CO isn't supposed to have a smell, but Google (he's also a chemist and engineer in addition to a doctor!) says that sometimes other gases accompanying the CO could cause it to be noticed by smell.

So if there is a situation I had exposure to it (obviously low level if it all or I'd not be typing this), I'd have been in my home for about 23 out of the 35 or so hours until I left for the hotel. As far as physical symptoms, I have a dull frontal headache and feel kind of dizzy/off balance...but as many of the regulars here know I feel that way all the time due to what's being considered a chronic migraine variant. Plus with lack of sleep that always feels worse anyway. I also feel like a weird taste in my mouth/throat since putting two and two together on what the smell was coming from.

So to sum up - I'm not sure if I have any actual symptoms from the smell and I'm not sure if my detector would go off.. lol. What steps make sense to take vs what seems like feeding the anxiety?

Buy a new CO detector and see if it goes off (before going to a hotel again as the generator isn't moving today it seems)?

Go to the hospital/ER to check for CO poisoning? Or maybe just shoot my doctor an email and ask her opinion? Not get checked at all unless I can confirm the presence of CO?

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[nomorepanic]

Get a new sensor/detector

[jray23]

Yeah that's what I did. I figure if I'm not sure the old one works that means it's time to get a new one even if there wasn't this generator problem. It isn't picking up on any CO thankfully but it still smells in my unit, not as bad. Such a weird situation. sigh. lol. I opted to go to a hotel again tonight.

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[MyNameIsTerry]

Who is responsible for the generator? Report it and get them to investigate what is happening to confirm it is not dangerous.

The same as above for responsibility for your maintenance, duty of care/safety, etc. Or are you in a tenants association, if so who is responsible for this?

Aside from you CO fear could it not be something else that the generator is producing? Is it a diesel generator, for instance? Temporary "gennies" are often oil fed, depending on size, and that is going to bring some smells. Could it be a new machine = new smells scenario? Something you notice until you get used to it?

You've leapt to CO but I think there are more likely culprits. Google has explained about mixing gases leading to CO having a smell but what about the wider reasons? Did you head straight for CO via Google hence it's only returning the possibilities within that biased view? Could you have easily Googled and pulled back a load of other smell related results if you had been more objective (and then perhaps zoomed in on the CO results anyway :winks:)

If you have concerns don't you have local authority lines you can call who will give you a professional opinion on whether it could be and what you need to do? Surely a temporary generator potentially causing CO into 300 units is a serious public health risk and they would be sending someone out if they had concerns from what they told you? They would over here for very obvious reasons.

Anxiety-wise, I guess it's one to rationalise and be wary of jumping to conclusions. Chase up the reporting side, if you haven't already anyway, and use that to counter thoughts. Lack of evidence is an issue here, as is biased results from Google potentially and the strongest evidence you have is the old inner chimp throwing a banana wanting you to react.

[KK77]

The CO source needs to be of an internal nature for there to be any immediate danger, JRay (eg, a faulty boiler or wood-burning stove). CO produced outside would be dispersed into air too quickly for it to enter your unit. The fumes would literally have to be billowing in.

More dangerous is NO2 production from fuel generators, especially for people with asthma, COPD, heart problems and allergy sufferers.

[jray23]

I think it might be diesel smell, idk. The new CO alarm is reporting nothing wrong and they said the fire department checked the generator and said it was ok.

It's a tenant association and the building manager won't move it, he says there's nowhere else to put it. The smell was much less this morning so hopefully it's dissipating but if it returns I'm thinking I'll give the city health department a call and see what they think I should do or if there's some way to lodge a complaint.

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[MyNameIsTerry]

Like KK says it's about confined space which makes it unlikely as it would need to be seriously forcing air through and you would know about that.

It could be a new generator and the the smell will settle down as the engine has run for so long. It could even need a service for but that would be done anyway before it is hired back out I expect. The fire dept were happy with it and that is a good sign.

It's temporary so hopefully it won't be there much longer.

[jray23]

Well it's still going. I have tried to push hard to the building manager and today he finally showed some signs of cracking and mentioned he is looking into moving the generator but can't tell me when it will be yet. Maximum is March 5 when he says the electrical should be fully repaired.

I'm not concerned with CO now at all as it's clearly not a problem. Just still concerned with the odor which is on and off and that being polluted air I breathe in, and concerned with lack of sleep during the busiest most crucial time of year for my job. I only slept three hours last night and was a bumbling mess this morning until lunch helped me shake it off. For peace of mind and to catch up on sleep, ran to a hotel again for tonight. I feel like I'm giving into an avoidance behavior though by not staying home. Also not the best move for my bank account if I can't get reimbursed.

I'll bring it 'on topic', because of this I'm already seeing myself blame physical symptoms on the situation. Things I wouldn't worry about normally. Like a repeatedly bloody mix coming out when blowing my nose yesterday. Or a burning kinda sore throat today. I mean it could just be dry, winter, little bug but I lay there last night thinking it was the fumes messing me up inside... It will be a challenge to not indulge in anxious health thoughts pending how much time I am at home.

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[AMomentofClarity]

I'll bring it 'on topic', because of this I'm already seeing myself blame physical symptoms on the situation. Things I wouldn't worry about normally. Like a repeatedly bloody mix coming out when blowing my nose yesterday. Or a burning kinda sore throat today. I mean it could just be dry, winter, little bug but I lay there last night thinking it was the fumes messing me up inside... It will be a challenge to not indulge in anxious health thoughts pending how much time I am at home.

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The important thing is you're recognizing this type of thinking. You're going through a rough time due to something out of your control. You are coping the best you can. Keep powering through, it will be over soon.