TOXIC HAZARD OF CAR AIR CONDITIONER

Jakarta is a metropolitan city that has a high population and mobility. No need to wonder, if many vehicles passing by on the street causing Jakarta filled with pollution. Car is one of the transportation choices that make possible to avoid direct contact with that pollution. Equipped with AC (Air Conditioner), those four-wheeled vehicles make us feel comfortable, even as the air temperature outside the car is very oppressive.

But today, we often hear news about people died of poisoning by car air conditioner. Maybe it makes us wonder about why and sometimes we even worried whether the car air conditioner can endanger human life.

Whether The Car Air Conditioner Dangerous?
It turned out in the car does not guarantee us free from pollution because the air conditioner kept hidden dangers that can be life threatening the car driver and passengers, namely carbon monoxide poisoning (CO). Major cause of poisoning in a car most of the discharge gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) on the disposal system that does not function well because of the waste pipe leaking untreated. In big cities, from 9 to 14 ppm (parts per million / parts per million) of CO were detected in a moving car. For comparison, the ambient air quality standards for RI are 20 ppm CO/8 hours. This means that exhaust fumes had contributed about half the limit of permissible CO levels. There is very little toxicity in the car caused by substances found in car furnished. When someone turn on the AC in a long time as the car was silent and closed his condition will make the air circulation is not running.

As a result of carbon monoxide gas to accumulate in the car. Early Symptoms of Poisoning Compounds Carbon Monoxide is poisonous, odorless, colorless, and tasteless, and can only be neutralized by oxygen. CO compounds can react with hemoglobin (Hb) of blood forming Hb-CO which cannot carry oxygen in the blood circulation. Someone who poisoned CO gas will experience symptoms of headaches, mental disorders (mental dullness), dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, loss of muscle control, followed by a decrease in the frequency of pulse and breathing, fainting, and death.

Where The Origin of CO?
Beside gas from car exhaust, the main source of CO in the car was smoke from cigarettes. The experts, states, some CO will inevitably break into the car from the outside (Henrie Hemmink – Auto Week, 1994). In addition, cigarette smoke contains tar, nicotine, and CO2, also contains CO. The result showed that Hb-CO levels in the blood of smokers reach 4-5% total Hb and heavy smokers can reach 10%. Compare with Hb-CO levels in the blood of a large urban population only 1-2%.

Tips to Avoid Dangerous Poison
Car air conditioner is safe to use if we know how to use it and take good care of our car, to avoid the dangers arising from CO gas poisoning. There are a few tips to minimize the production of CO and impact of pollutants caused by CO in the car, which is
1. No smoking within the car
2. Routine check vehicle’s exhaust system each year, a small leak in the system can trigger poisonous carbon monoxide gas into the car
3. Caring for the car more closely especially Part of the floor and under the car. No matter how small the hole, needs to be welded. Rubber doors and windows also need to be examined. When damaged or leaking, need to be replaced
4. Controlling the engine regularly. An inappropriate comparison between the fuel and air can lead to incomplete combustion and the production of excess pollutants
5. Tests your car’s Compression. If the compression pressure of gas in the car 9 kg/cm2, and diesel below 20 kg/cm2, it’s time to overhaul
6. Air filter should be frequently cleaned every 20,000 km, Because the surface air filter is clogged dust will result in a mixture of gasoline is too much, so not worth the air
7. Do not ever start the car in a closed garage cause carbon monoxide can quickly fill the room. Should open the windows and doors when the car stopped so that the air circulation going well and the outside air can neutralize carbon monoxide
8. If you want to rest in a car, do not close all the window and the door with air conditioning running. Many cases of death due to falling asleep in the car and the gas carbon monoxide poisoning.