Risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Accidents
Ventilation Is Essential When Using a Gas Range
Attaching a tripod cover to a gas range poses a risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning accidents. This is because air circulation around the burner is hindered.
On the 11th, the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation purchased five types of tripod covers online and measured the carbon monoxide concentration during combustion. They reported that one product reached a carbon monoxide concentration of over 12,800 ppm, which can cause death within three minutes.
Among the five products, four showed carbon monoxide concentrations exceeding 200 ppm about three minutes after ignition. A concentration of 200 ppm is the exposure limit for chemical and physical agents at which a person can experience headaches and loss of judgment in a short time.
However, this demonstration experiment measured carbon monoxide concentration in the air by installing a collector above the cooking utensils in a sealed space. If ventilation is adequate, it is difficult to consider that consumers are directly harmed. Therefore, when using a gas range, it is essential to open windows for ventilation and be cautious when using additional parts such as tripod covers.
Tripod covers are auxiliary devices sold for purposes such as controlling the heat of a gas range or acting as windshields. They affect the oxygen for combustion between the gas range and cooking utensils, which can cause incomplete combustion. There have been frequent cases of fatalities after using tripod covers attached to gas ranges. In September last year, two people died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning while boiling herbal medicine with a tripod cover attached to a gas range, and in December 2023, two people died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning while boiling beef bone soup with a tripod cover attached to a gas range.
The Consumer Agency recommended seven manufacturers and sellers of gas ranges to strengthen warnings about the use of additional parts such as tripod covers and the occurrence of carbon monoxide. They also requested the Korea Online Shopping Association to ensure that member stores provide sufficient usage warnings when selling additional parts for gas ranges.
They also provided this information to the Korea City Gas Association to deliver information about the dangers of tripod covers to city gas consumers nationwide. The Korea Gas Safety Corporation plans to consider measures to prohibit the use of additional parts not made by gas range manufacturers to prevent safety accidents.
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