The Air Quality office now has home carbon monoxide alarms available for the Grand Portage community. These alarms detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that causes thousands of deaths each year. These are battery powered alarms similar to smoke detectors and should be placed near the bedrooms of the home. These detectors are required in all new construction but many older homes lack them and this could be deadly. I also have equipment to test your appliances and check for carbon monoxide production.
Please stop by my office or give me a call and I will install it for you. My office number is 475-2027 and is located at 27 Store Road in the Trust Lands building.

The Air Quality office now has free radon monitors available now for the Grand Portage community. These monitors test the air in the home over a period of time and are then mailed in for analysis. Since home ventilation levels vary over the seasons a one-year test is the most accurate but the detector can be analyzed with as little as a 14 day exposure. Here is how the company describes them:

Each RSSI Alpha-track radon gas detector contains a detector element, called a foil.  When radon atoms decay inside the detector, they release alpha particles.  If the alpha particles strike the foil, they make microscopic tracks in the surface of the foil.  When the detector is analyzed, the foil is chemically treated to enlarge the alpha tracks, which are counted on an automated system.  The average radon level is calculated from the number of tracks and the number of days the detector was exposed.  This level is reported in picocuries per liter (pCi/L).   Radon levels vary in daily and seasonal cycles, and in response to weather conditions and ventilation patterns.  For these reasons, it is preferable to make the test period as long as possible.  A full year test provides the most reliable prediction of future radon exposure and health risk.  However, RSSI's Alpha-track detector can be used for tests as short as 14 days.
Call my office at 475-2027 or stop by at 27 Store Road and I can set one up in your home. If you have any questions about indoor air quality or would like your house tested Just let me know and we can set it up.

One of the stars of the MTV reality show "Buckwild" and two other people were found dead in their vehicle in West Virginia last week and the cause was carbon monoxide poisoning. The three were in a 1984 Ford Bronco that was stuck in the mud with the tailpipe buried in the mud which allowed the cab to become saturated with a fatal level of CO. This tragedy should be a sharp reminder to us all to be sure that the tailpipe of your vehicle is clear of any obstructions like snow or mud when idling a car. This is critically important if you are stranded and need to run the car for heat. Remember CO is colorless and odorless and can overcome you before you even realize what is happening. Keep a candle and blankets in your emergency kit and you will not need to run the car as much if you become stuck since the heat from the candle can help warm the interior enough to keep you from freezing.