“The Federal Government says 16 million smoke detectors in US homes do not work. Furthermore, studies show that working smoke detectors reduce the risk of fatalities by 50%.” ( source )

Smoke Detector Test Spray

Many people feel safe simply knowing they have smoke detectors installed in their homes and don’t think to check their functionality until they hear the annoying ‘beep… beep… beep…’ that let’s them know their smoke detector has all but run out of battery power.

Question: Do smoke detectors function at their optimal levels until that beeping starts? Honestly, we don’t know but if taking a few minutes every month or two to check to see if our smoke detectors work will save our lives, well, you bet your britches we’ll test our smoke detectors on a regular basis!

OK, well how can I test my smoke detector?

Most smoke detectors have a ‘test’ button on them that gives owners the impression that if their alarm goes off when that button gets pressed they have a fully functional smoke detector. Not true! That little button only tests to see if the batteries have enough power to sound the alarm and does nothing with the ‘smoke sensing’ portion of the smoke detector.

So… how can one fully test the functionality of their smoke detectors without setting a fire in the house? Easy! Smoke Check comes in different sizes, can be purchased in bulk and has optional accessories that make it possible to test the functionality of smoke detectors on ceilings without having to stand on chairs or use a ladder.

According to Smoke Check‘s manufacturer, the Smoke Check Smoke Detector Tester allows users to test smoke detectors that use both photoelectric and ionization methods of smoke detection. By emitting a patented mixture of particles in an aerosol spray, Smoke Check simulates smoke generated by a wide range of fire conditions and in doing so performs a thorough test of smoke detectors’ components.

Smoke Detector Tester puts both photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors through their paces to ensure that their circuitry and alarm systems are functioning and that they are actively sampling the air for any hint of a fire. Our patented formulation of aerosol particles simulates the entire range of fire conditions giving you the confidence of knowing your fire alarm system will respond promptly to any kind of fire condition. ( source )

So… test those detectors, folks! Your life and the lives of your loved ones may depend on it!

Believe it or not, strict laws exist for the purpose of controlling the amount of noise/sound that fill our environments and devices such as the General Tools Sound Meter w/ SD Card make it possible to gather ‘evidence’ about suspected noise ordnance violations w/ ease.

General Tools Sound Meter w/ SD Card

Then we allowed ourselves to think on a grander scale and we recalled that a number of parents have no choice but to leave their children in the care of other adults for quite a lot of time because of work/school schedules.

Once that fact sank in we fully understood how any childcare provider performing in that capacity really ought to have no objection to a background check OR drug test.

Interested parties will find two version of the Nanny / BabySitter Pre-Hire Drug Test & Background Screening available on the Test Country Web Site.

Yes, that’s right, we said it. Chances are the hundreds of dollars you spent on that cute little tradeshow giveaway with your company’s name, address, phone number and web site on it would have better been spent gambling that a blind dog would win the Kentucky Derby.

OK, so for those of you not into horse racing, dogs don’t run in the Kentucky Derby.

So… Your point is WHAT?

If you want to make a memorable impression on a booth visitor you should give them something that could, oh, we don’t know… save their families life, perhaps?

Custom labeled Carbon monoxide detector badges cost just as much, or some cases a lot less, than the latest tradeshow giveaway gimmick and people who receive them will find themselves a lot less likely to throw them out when they sift through their bag(s) of tradeshow swag after the show.

Simple and effective, these things could save a life… or a whole house full of lives. So the next time a co-worker suggests buying a bunch of squishy stress balls with your company’s logo on them for an upcoming show, remind that person where all those balls go: out in the backyard for the dogs to chew on, never to be seen again.

Then, use the harsh moment of silence to ask one simple question: “What if we gave away something that potential customers could use to save the life of their families?” and see where the conversation goes from there.

Customized appearance on a useful product

We cannot stress the importance of having your company’s name and logo appear on a product that will remain in the view booth visitors and other customers/potentials long after their visit has ended. Carbon monoxide badges WILL remain in eyesight for up to 2 to 3 years in an unopened package and up to 90 days once put into use.

Can your colleague say that about a stress ball or any other traditional tradeshow gimmick?

Who uses CO badges anyways?

Professionally speaking, just about any occupation where fumes from a combustion process (in a furnace, from cars, in industry, in the event of a house or structure fire, etc.) could possibly accumulate as expected or unexpectedly.

• Mining Companies
• Airlines and Airports
• Marinas and Shipping Companies
• Distribution and Shipping Companies
• Factories
• Home Inspectors
• HVAC Technicians, Plumbers, Electricians
• Marketing, Promotional Companies
• Manufacturers
• Magazine and Other Publishers
• Charitable Organizations
• Hospitals, Schools, Churches, Auditoriums, Public Facilities, etc.
• Government and Military Installations
• Restaurants

The above list represents but a small fraction of the places and types of organizations who routinely purchase carbon dioxide detection devices… so just think about the number of people involved in one or more of those activities. Each one represents a potential shirt pocket or in-sight location where your company’s name will sit in plain view for a good long while.

For those not familiar with methane, you may know it better as ‘natural gas’. Many homes have heating, cooking and/or laundry equipment that runs on natural gas.

Regarding propane, some homes use propane as their heating source, various styles of portable cooking equipment may use propane and many industrial buildings have large propane tanks stored within them.

Carbon monoxide exists in all open air atmospheres but in closed quarters it can cause people to become groggy, fall asleep and eventually stop breathing altogether. While many people believe flame acts as the primary killer in house fires, carbon monoxide poisoning via smoke inhalation kills far more people than flames. Also, improperly vented or blocked chimneys from gas furnaces or fireplaces will result in large amounts of carbon dioxide backing up into a building and putting the lives of everyone inside at risk.

The article mentioned that the occupants of the house may have complained to the landlord about a gas leak earlier that day. We would HATE to have that person’s conscience right now, that’s for sure!

Moral of the story

If you own property(ies) and have any reason to suspect that a gas line, valve or gas powered appliance such as a furnace, stove, washer, dryer, or even gas heating log in a fake fireplace may have a leak, don’t waste one red second checking it out thoroughly yourself with a device like the CD200 Combustible Gas Leak Detector or, better yet, having a service professional come out and investigate — and most likely he or she will have a device as good or better than the CD200 Combustible Gas Leak Detector.

CD200 Combustible Gas Leak Detector

So… what can the above meter detect? All sorts of potentially explosive, hazardous and dangerous gases, vapors and steams!

Combustibles:

• Natural Gas (Methane)
• Gasoline
• Propane
• Jet Fuel
• Tolulene
• Ethylene oxide
• Ammonia
• Lacquer Thinner
• Acetylene
• Halon
• Industrial Solvents
• Naptha
• Combustible Refrigerants
• Butane
• Alcohol

Other Detected Vapors & Steams:

• Steam
• Hydrogen Sulfide
• Smoke
• Acetone Ammonia

Oh, how we wish the possibility of cyanide, the same deadly compound used to execute prisoners in gas chambers, entering drinking water supplies did not exist.

Despite cyanide’s reputation as a known killer, many industries still find it quite useful in a number of manufacturing processes. As an example, metal plating facilities would need to charge much more for their finished goods if they could not use cyanide in their operations.

In theory, as long as every company using cyanide keeps accurate track of every single drop and no one breaks any laws regulating the use, storage and disposal of cyanide we ought to have nothing to worry about, right? RIGHT?

Sorry, but those of us who live in the real world know darn well that a good number ‘fat cat’ business types don’t give a rat’s stinky butt about what happens to the water in YOUR area if cutting corners here and there when it comes to environmental safety practices will help the bottom line.

Testing for cyanide? Easy to do?

As our friends over at Water Testing Blog always say, “Nothing takes the place of testing performed by a qualified, certified water testing lab…” but it never hurts to do a little testing on your own between lab tests just to keep an eye on things.

The test kits below will give you, the average person, the ability to test for dissolved cyanide in water:

Cyanide in Water Test Kit

Meter to Test for Cyanide

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-cyanide-in-drinking-water/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-metals-in-drinking-water/ http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-metals-in-drinking-water/#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:03:55 +0000 Test For Admin http://test-for.com/blog/?p=958 Last week we touched on the topic of testing for potentially toxic heavy metals in human hair — a very wise thing to do if you have reason to believe your tap water or other aspect of your everyday environment may contain excess amounts of heavy metals.

Now the question becomes, can a person test their water for heavy metals? Absolutely, and at least three options exist: 1) At-Home Drinking Water Test Kits; 2) Mail-In Laboratory Testing; 3) Lab Testing by a Local, Certified Water Testing Laboratory.

For option ’3′, check your local phone book or browse through the listings of labs certified to test drinking water on your state via the USEPA’s Safe Water Web Site.

For option ’2′ we suggest taking a look at the mail-in water test kits offered by National Testing Laboratories or considering a kit such as the Premium Drinking Water Testing Kit which tests specifically for metals (plus fluoride & pH).

For option ’1′ we suggest purchasing a bottle of the Heavy Metals Check test strips from SenSafe. Although this product will not identify heavy metals in your drinking water, it will tell you the overall concentration in ppb (parts per billion) of heavy metals in your drinking water. Each bottle comes with 50 tests so you can either perform testing on multiple water sources OR perform periodic testing on just one water source.

If you want a broken down list of heavy metals contaminating your water, consider Option ’2′ again and think about using the Premium Drinking Water Testing Kit.

Water Metals Check

Coliform Bacteria Test Kit

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-metals-in-drinking-water/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-metals-in-the-body/ http://test-for.com/blog/2011/06/test-for-metals-in-the-body/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:03:05 +0000 Test For Admin http://test-for.com/blog/?p=952 With all the talk about excess metal contamination in our environment (in the air, in the water, in the soil, in the ground & even in the foods we eat!) it comes as no surprise that people have started to wonder if they, too, have become an unwilling recipient of too many metals.

That’s where a test like the Toxic Element Exposure Hair Testing Kit comes in handy. It gives people the ability to test their own body’s (or a loved one’s body) for recent exposure to 31 harmful and potentially harmful heavy metals — all with just a simple snip of hair from the head.

So if you suspect exposure to metals through drinking water contamination, airborne contaminants or any other means, you should definitely consider having yourself tested for Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Beryllium, Cobalt, Nickel, Zinc, Copper, Thorium, Thallium, Barium, Cesium, Manganese, Selenium, Bismuth, Vanadium, Silver, Antimony, Palladium, Aluminum, Platinum, Tungsten, Tin, Uranium, old, Tellurium, Germanium, Titanium, and Gadolinium.

The Toxic Element Exposure Hair Testing Kit provides results in just 7 to 10 days and best of all REQUIRES NO INVASIVE PROCEDURES (like needles).

Why? Because A/C units in cars and attached to buildings pretty much ALL use refrigerant and when their tanks keep running out of refrigerant for no apparent reason, SOMEbody will need to figure out the location of the leak… and a meter such as the Inficon D-Tek Select (712-202-G1) can make that task a whole lot simpler!

Inficon D-Tek Select Refrigerant Detector

The Inficon D-TEK Refrigerant Leak Detector utilizes innovative infrared absorption sensing technology that makes it extremely sensitive to all refrigerants… and more importantly ONLY to refrigerants.

While other refrigerant detectors may lose their sensitivity over time, the D-TEK Select maintains its sensitivity over the lifetime of the sensing cell (approximately 800 hours) and provides consistent, accurate and reliable results for both older and newer refrigerant blends.

Other key features include:

• Charging status indicator
• Status light to indicate failure of sensing unit
• NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries
• Equal sensitivity to all refrigerants including R-22, R-134a, R-404a,
• ‘Poison-proof’ infrared cell that will not fail due to exposure large amounts of refrigerant

Looking for a lower cost refrigerant leak detector? Try the 705-202-G1 which retails for about $200 less and still provides excellent detection for a wide range of refrigerants.