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Car exhaust, portable heaters and camping lanterns are all sources of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Thousands of people die or become ill each year at home, on vacation or at work from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. These fumes are odorless and colorless.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms may include:
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Headaches and nausea
- Chest pain and palpitations
- Decreased tolerance for physical activity
- Visual disturbance
- Inability to concentrate
Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
Prevention is the key to avoiding fatal levels of this odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. CO reduces your blood's ability to carry oxygen, and low blood-oxygen levels can result in loss of consciousness and death, says the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC recommends installing carbon monoxide detectors that meet the requirements of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc (UL). Look for the UL label on the carbon monoxide detector. The UL standards require detectors to sound an alarm when exposure to carbon monoxide reaches potentially hazardous levels over a period of time.
Carbon monoxide dangers in your home
Carbon monoxide is produced when any fuel, such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal, is burned. Here is a list of sources of carbon monoxide:
Car exhaust. Catalytic converters have reduced the output of carbon monoxide in auto emissions from about 9 percent to 1 percent, but lethal doses of carbon monoxide can collect in a closed garage within 10 minutes. Never run your car in a closed garage, even for a few minutes.
Fuel-burning appliances. More than 200 people die and about 10,000 people are treated each year for carbon monoxide poisoning linked to malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, kerosene heaters, water heaters, clothes dryers, kitchen ranges, wood stoves and fireplaces, the CPSC says.
For your safety, make sure your appliances are properly installed and in good working order. Choose appliances that vent fumes outside, and follow all operating instructions for any fuel-burning device, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA also recommends a qualified professional clean and check your flue, chimney and heating system (including wood or coal stove) before the start of each heating season. If you think you have a carbon monoxide leak in your home, check for:
- Loose or disconnected furnace panels or vent/chimney connections.
- Rusting or water streaks on your furnace vent or chimney.
- Debris or soot falling from your chimney, fireplace or appliance.
- Loose masonry on your chimney.
- Moisture on the inside of your windows.
Gasoline-powered generators. Never use a gas-powered generator inside your home. These types of generators can cause dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, even if you keep doors and windows open.
Other poisoning possibilities
- Camping equipment. If you're camping, keep the charcoal grill outside and turn off the portable lanterns and heaters when you go to sleep. There are now new, safer models of portable heaters available that will automatically shut off when oxygen levels get too low.
- Paint removers. Carbon monoxide poisoning can result not only from directly inhaling the gas but also from exposure to cleaners and paint removers that contain methylene chloride, which is converted to carbon monoxide in the body.
Methylene chloride also is believed to be carcinogenic because it causes cancer in laboratory animals. If you're working indoors with paint strippers or adhesive removers that contain methylene chloride, open all doors and windows and use a fan to blow the air outside.
What to do
If you have symptoms associated with carbon monoxide poisoning, open the doors and windows, turn off combustion appliances, have everyone leave the building immediately and seek medical attention, the EPA says. If anyone is unconscious, immediately call 911 and let them know this may be carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning is often misdiagnosed as the flu.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to pulmonary, cardiac, blood, neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, such as aspiration pneumonia, irregular heartbeat, convulsions, anemia and kidney failure.
Victims can suffer chronic disorders, such as personality changes, memory impairment, Parkinson's disease, visual loss, dementia, dysphasia and mutism. A person usually begins exhibiting these chronic symptoms three weeks after exposure to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
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External Sources
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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