There are many health hazards lurking in our bathrooms that we often ignore. In a recent case, a man collapsed in his bathroom and when he regained consciousness in the hospital he couldn’t recognise his family and had lost his memory partially.
There were no injury marks and the doctors deduced that the gas geysers at his place were the culprit.
Last winter, a couple was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom of their house in Indirapuram in Delhi. The couple was rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared them brought dead. While the cause of their death is yet to be ascertained, it’s time we look at potential health hazards in our bathrooms.
Let’s understand why gas geysers are unsafe.
Why Are Gas Geysers Dangerous?
First things first, gas geysers are different from electric ones.
Gas geysers use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) to heat the water. So they can heat water pretty much all-day without interruption. Their non-dependence on electricity make them quite popular among large families.
But the most important fact (which is usually ignored while installation) is that gas geysers should ONLY be set up in areas with proper ventilation and NEVER in a confined space.
Reason?
Lack of proper ventilation in bathrooms causes the carbon dioxide gas released by the geyser to convert into carbon monoxide (as the oxygen is consumed by the person).
The main issue with carbon monoxide is that it is a colourless and an odourless gas. So, mostly people do not even realise that they are inhaling it.
While the symptoms depend on the quantity of the gas inhaled, it can lead to various health ailments including seizures, loss of consciousness, hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues).
A study conducted by the department of neurology of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital found that gas geysers (LPG-operated) installed in bathrooms which were not ventilated properly resulted in loss of consciousness, seizures, cardiac arrest and in some cases, early onset of the Parkinson's disease.
The study also found out that most of these geysers were installed without complying to the safety instructions.
What Precautions Can You Take?
- Keep a check on the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning like headaches, disorientation, weakness, nausea and chest pain
- Do not install the gas geyser in a closed space
- Always keep the ventilators open
- Do a periodic check of the geyser
- Don’t keep the geyser running continuously, keep gaps between each use
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)