Kids' Mom is Heating Her Home with Kerosene

My question involves a child custody case from the State of: michigan

my kids go to their grandmothers to visit with their mom, where she lives, overnight one day per week.
long story but my ex is mentally ill. their is a guardian ad litem assigned by the courts for over a year, but he has taken no action.

anyways. last spring i dropped the kids off. i smelled kerosine on my kids. the ex ststed the furnace was out and its temporary.
6 months later its going into winter and i couldnt help but notice the kids reek of kerosine.
im concerned not only is this an obvious fire hazard(grandmas house is also filthy and cluttered) but the kerosine emissions are also harmful.
what to do?

The court is going to trust Mom to keep the children safe. She's providing heat. I suppose if you wanted to make a fuss about it, you could, but I not only doubt you'd get anywhere - I believe you'd end up paying Mom's legal fees in the process.

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Quoting dead_onion

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not only is this an obvious fire hazard

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Kerosene space heaters can be used safely. Is the use in your ex's home safe? We can't answer that, as we don't have the facts.

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Quoting dead_onion

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(grandmas house is also filthy and cluttered)

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Depending on your sensitivity, that could mean anything from a house so crammed full of stuff you have to turn sideways to maneuver past stacks of boxes and newspapers to get down the hallway, to grandma's having crumbs on the counter and not making the kids put their toys away. As you've been in the house to see the filth and clutter, you should be able to tell us about the style and location of the space heaters and why you believe that they're dangerous.

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Quoting dead_onion

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but the kerosene emissions are also harmful.

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What health consequences have been documented by the children's pediatrician?

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Quoting dead_onion

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what to do?

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Depending on the facts, anything from "get some perspective" to "file a motion before the custody court" to "call CPS". We don't have the facts.

Christmas is almost here. Give the ex and her mom a few carbon monoxide detectors for their home.

space heater is a circular one. not sure where its kept in house. house reeks of kerosene and it can be smell from driveway.
cluttered meand 3-4 adults, my 2 children, her other 2 children(whom she has also lost custody of) 4 dogs, 6 cats, a ferret that runs free, a few birds, various caged animals, amd years of accumulated junk, all crammed into an 800 sqft home.
by filthy i mean sometimes i have had fleas crawling in my childrens hair.

so yeah. cluttered. filthy. reeking of kerosine(but at least tge kerosine funes covers up the cigarette smell that usually cling to my kids from the 3 chain smokers that live in the home!)

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and if their so safe then why have several states banned their use in inhabited buildings?

If you want your state to ban kerosene heaters, lobby your state legislature.

i think we both know what i said was to give an axample that their maybe not so safe.no need for sarcasm

No, seriously, you have to deal with the fact that your case will be addressed under the laws of your state, not the laws of other states. Rants about what other states do won't help your situation.

It's up to you to decide if you want to take action or let things go.

I’ve used a kerosene heater during power outages. It worked well, but I did notice some odor. Since, I have read that cleaning the wick to remove tar buildup (or replace the wick) greatly reduces that issue. I’m going to do that before I use mine again. It was purchased used and we’ve never cleaned it. Maybe you could offer to do that for your kids' grandmother. There's lots of free how-to info online.

At the outset I would be more concerned with the "fleas", which are probably actually head lice.