Srinagar, Dec 09 (KNO): As temperatures continue to dip across the Valley, health professionals in Kashmir have sounded a serious warning about the widespread use of unvented gas heaters inside sealed rooms. They say these heating devices can quietly fill homes with toxic carbon monoxide (CO), putting residents at grave risk of illness or even sudden death.
Dr Murtaza Wani, a senior medical officer with the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that unvented heaters burn LPG or other fuel directly inside the living space without any outlet to discharge harmful gases.
“These heaters have no chimney or exhaust pipe. When they operate in a closed room, the byproducts of combustion — especially carbon monoxide — begin to accumulate in the air. Once the concentration rises, anyone inside the room becomes vulnerable to poisoning,” he explained.
He urged that the safest option for households is to shift to heaters that vent pollutants outdoors.
According to him, using an unvented heater in compact, sealed areas such as bedrooms or washrooms is particularly hazardous. “Night-time use is the riskiest. When people are asleep, they don’t sense the symptoms and may never wake up,” he warned.
Dr Murtaza described carbon monoxide as one of the most deceptive dangers encountered indoors.
“You cannot detect it with your senses — it has no smell, no colour, and no taste. It simply replaces oxygen in the blood, and the person becomes unconscious without any alarm,” he said. He noted that children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with respiratory or cardiac conditions are at even higher risk.
Similarly, Dr Muzafar Ahmad Naik explained the signs that may appear in the early stages of exposure.
“In the beginning, a person may feel a throbbing headache, dizziness, vomiting or confusion. If the exposure continues, it can quickly progress to fainting or respiratory failure,” he said.
He added that severe oxygen shortage in the body may lead to physical indicators such as tiny red spots on the skin and eyes (petechial haemorrhages), foamy secretions in the airways and swelling of lung tissues.
Dr Naik pointed out that apart from CO, unvented heaters release nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), which can irritate the throat and lungs and aggravate asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions. “For people with pre-existing chest diseases, this can be extremely harmful,” he noted.
To reduce the risk of tragedies during winter, doctors recommend the following precautions: "Always maintain airflow in rooms where any gas heater is running, prefer heaters with proper vents or exhaust outlets, install reliable carbon monoxide alarms at home, have heating appliances checked and serviced regularly, avoid using gas heaters while sleeping and never operate heaters in fully sealed spaces."
Health officials emphasised that awareness can save lives.
“With the onset of harsh winter, people tend to close every window and rely heavily on gas heaters. This combination is dangerous. A little care and responsible heating practices can prevent entirely avoidable deaths,” they said—(KNO)