Can gas leaks affect my health?

Signs of a Gas Leak in Your Home

Quick identification of a gas leak is imperative for safety. Key signs that may indicate a gas leak in your home include:

• A rotten eggs smell, caused by added odorants like mercaptan
• Hissing or whistling sounds coming from gas appliances or pipes
• Bubbles in standing water
• Dying plants or trees nearby
• Flickering gas flames instead of a steady blue colour

Odorants are added to the naturally odourless gas used indoors to help detect gas leaks, similar to natural gas, as a safety measure. Carbon monoxide alarms and devices designed for gas leak detection can alert you to a potential danger in your home.

Upon detecting signs of a gas leak, immediately evacuate and contact the gas company or fire brigade. Never attempt to locate the leak yourself. A licenced technician can provide the gas leak need for gas line repair services to identify and resolve the issue.

Health Effects from Gas Leak Exposure

Exposure to natural gas leaks can lead to significant immediate and long-term health risks. Gas leak symptoms, indicative of a possible issue, can include immediate manifestations like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Symptoms such as these may result from inhaling toxic fumes, including carbon monoxide, LPG gas, methane, or sulphur compounds from a gas leak.

Long term health consequences, or effects of gas exposure, can result in serious conditions with repeated or prolonged exposure. Gas leaks deplete oxygen levels, replacing breathable air with hazardous combustion byproducts. There is also a risk of gas poisoning which can affect your well-being, exacerbating health problems, including respiratory diseases, chronic headaches, skin conditions and even cancer.

Awareness of the necessary steps to take upon discovering a gas leak is vital., Given the heightened danger of high gas concentrations, immediate action is imperative. That’s precisely why any situation when we find a gas leak in our homes must be addressed with utmost urgency.

Indoor accumulation of gas can lead to a drastic drop in oxygen levels, increasing the risk of suffocation, loss of coordination, cognitive impairment, and even death. Don’t hesitate to evacuate the building and call emergency services if you’re unsure what to do when you experience symptoms gas leak or suspect exposure to gas through an unseen leak.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of incomplete combustion from gas leaks, poses a severe hazard and indirectly contributes to climate change. It is colourless, odourless, and tasteless, making it a severe public health risk due to its difficulty to detect. CO poisoning from a natural gas leak your home can happen when CO builds up in the blood, preventing oxygen from being transported effectively to organs and tissues.

Symptoms of a natural gas leak may include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion
• Pink skin
• Red lips
• Abdominal pain

CO alarms are vital as carbon monoxide is undetectable by odour, taste, or sight. Install CO alarms on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas, to detect any presence of natural gas. Test CO alarms monthly and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for replacement, usually every 5-10 years.

If your CO alarm sounds, leave the building immediately and call 000. Do not re-enter until emergency services have declared there is no gas leak and it’s safe to return. Seek medical attention if you experience any issues that could affect your health due to exposure to gas.

To prevent CO leaks, ensure that appliances which use natural gas are maintained annually, and any damage is remedied without delay. Install outdoor appliances outside your home away from doors, windows and vents. Recognising the signs and symptoms of a gas leak, including those for CO poisoning, where natural gas could be escaping, is lifesaving.

What to Do if You Suspect a Gas Leak

If you suspect a gas leak in your dwelling, it’s critical to follow these safety procedures immediately:

1. Immediately evacuate the area and avoid triggering any electrical switches or appliances that could ignite the gas and cause a fire or explosion. This includes not turning lights on or off.
2. Avoid using an open flame or smoking near gas line where a leak is suspected.
3. Ventilate the area by opening doors and windows if it does not pose additional risk.
4. If accessible without risk, turn off your main gas supply valve to the off position to prevent and find gas leak sources. The valve is typically located near your gas meter.
5. Leave the building and call your local fire department by dialing 000 from outside. Ask for their immediate assistance.
6. Do not re-enter your home until emergency services declare it safe. Instruct everyone to avoid the leak area.
7. After the immediate danger has passed, call a licenced gas plumber, like Inner West Plumbing, to inspect your appliances and your gas lines and repair the leak.

Responding to a gas leak involves prompt measures like following safety advice, ventilating the area, shutting off the gas, and seeking emergency assistance to protect your health. Should a gas leak be detected, never attempt to repair it yourself due to the severe health and explosion risks. If you’re questioning, 'What do I do if I smell gas?', contact skilled professionals to correctly identify and fix gas leaks.

Preventing Gas Leaks

Proactive measures are essential to prevent gas leaks. This involves regularly inspecting your gas appliances, pipes and flues for signs of wear and damage to ensure natural gas safe usage. Cracks, corrosion, ill-fitting components, or obstructions could indicate a faulty gas source.

Service your gas heating systems, cooktops, wall furnaces, and other gas appliances every 1-2 years by a licensed technician according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. They will clean and tune appliances to optimal condition, check for issues, and replace aged parts.

Ensure that appliances, including those in your car and home, are properly ventilated for exhaust gases. Unflued gas heaters and blocked flues or vents can allow dangerous air pollutants like carbon monoxide to accumulate, severely impacting indoor air quality. null

Gas leak signs like the smell of gas, a hissing sound near appliances, bubbles in water or dead plants may also indicate a gas leak.

Having regular professional inspections, understanding warning signs, using appliances as instructed and ensuring good ventilation can help safeguard against hazardous gas leaks in your home.

When to Call a Professional

It’s crucial to contact a licenced professional gas technician in scenarios such as:

• You detect a gas odour or suspect there is a leak
• Your gas appliances malfunction, showing signs such as backfiring or unusual flames, indicating a leak
• Pilot lights repeatedly go out
• You experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea, or dizziness, which could indicate exposure to natural gas or CO poisoning
• Gas lines, valves or fittings are damaged
• Annual servicing and inspections are due
• You need gas line installations, repairs or new gas appliance set ups
• CO detectors frequently activate
• Vents or flues are blocked

At Inner West Plumbing, our licensed technicians provide emergency gas leak repairs, annual servicing of hot water heaters, cooktops, wall furnaces, gas line inspections, installations and maintenance, carbon monoxide testing, and commissioning of new gas appliances.

Don’t hesitate to email us or call 1300 349 338 to schedule an inspection. Ensuring natural gas safety tips are followed for you and your family is our top priority. Our expertise can catch leaks before they become dangerous.