Not long ago there was an incident that went viral on social media, namely the case of a car driver and passenger who was poisoned by air conditioning and eventually died. However, what is more appropriate is Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas poisoning as the residue of engine combustion released via the exhaust.

The source of the exhaust fumes can be through several points, such as the cabin air ventilation ducts, poor door rubber, air-ducts that function to reduce the level of air tightness, so that the doors are easily closed, rubber wiring harness lines in the cabin area and water drain rubber caps.

Symptoms of CO Gas Poisoning

The symptoms of this gas poisoning are difficult to realize because it is like a tired person, namely weakness, drowsiness, headache, and increases to nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and hallucinations. If the levels are high, it can cause loss of consciousness and rapid death.

 Because the characteristics are camouflaged, once conscious it will be difficult to seek help because the body is too weak, even to simply open the car door. Many victims of CO gas poisoning are not helped by inhaling this dangerous gas while sleeping in an air-conditioned car.

The air conditioner is difficult to turn off because the cabin is tightly closed, even though passengers need a cool and comfortable cabin atmosphere. Once the CO gas manages to enter the cabin and the levels increase, the passengers will be poisoned by this featureless gas.

Indonesia

Belum lama ini ada kejadian yang viral di sosial media, yakni kasus mengenai pengemudi dan penumpang mobil yang keracunan AC hingga akhirnya meninggal. Namun yang lebih tepat adalah keracunan gas Carbon Monoksida (CO) sebagai sisa pembakaran mesin yang dikeluarkan via knalpot.

Untuk sumber masuknya asap gas buang bisa melalui beberapa titik, seperti saluran ventilasi udara kabin, kurang baiknya karet-karet pintu, saluran air-duct yang berfungsi untuk mengurangi tingkat kekedapan udara, sehingga pintu mudah ditutup, karet-karet jalur wiring harness area kabin dan tutup karet pembuangan air.

Gejala Keracunan Gas CO

Gejala keracunan gas ini sulit disadari karena seperti orang lelah, yakni badan lemas, mengantuk, sakit kepala, dan meningkat menjadi mual, muntah, sakit pada dada, dan seperti berhalusinasi. Jika kadarnya sudah tinggi bisa menyebabkan hilang kesadaran dan kematian yang cepat.

Karena ciri-cirinya tersamarkan, begitu sadar akan sulit mencari pertolongan karena badan terlalu lemas, bahkan untuk sekadar membuka pintu mobil. Banyak korban keracunan gas CO yang tidak tertolong akibat menghirup gas berbahaya ini waktu tidur di dalam mobil ber-AC.

AC sulit dimatikan karena kabin tertutup rapat padahal penumpang butuh suasana kabin yang sejuk dan nyaman. Begitu gas CO berhasil masuk ke dalam kabin dan kadarnya meningkat, maka penumpang akan keracunan gas tanpa ciri ini.