What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas.
Products and equipment powered by internal combustion such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers also produce CO. Too much CO is harmful and can result in death if too much CO is breathed.
Since you cannot smell or see carbon monoxide, you may not know you have been exposed. Symptoms can range from mild to moderate poisoning and are similar to flu symptoms. They may include:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Weakness
With high levels of carbon monoxide, the symptoms can be more severe and can result in death in minutes.
The symptoms may include:
- Mental confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of muscular coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Chest Pain
- Ultimately death
If you experience any of the above symptoms and think you have been exposed to carbon monoxide, you should:
Get fresh air immediately—open doors and windows, turn off appliances and leave the house. Call 911 from outside the exposure area, and seek emergency care – a blood test may be done to diagnosis exposure. Be prepared to answer questions for the physician.
These may include:
- Do your symptoms occur only in the house?
- Do they disappear or decrease when you leave the home?
- Is anyone else in your house complaining of the same symptoms?
- Do you use a fuel-burning appliance in the home?
- When was the last time your appliances were inspected?
- Are your appliances working properly?
If appliances that burn fuel are maintained and used properly, the amount of carbon monoxide that is produced is usually not hazardous. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year because of malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning appliances. Carbon monoxide can be produced from idling cars and can cause accidental deaths as well.
Review the following DOs and Don’ts to preventing carbon monoxide poisoning:
- DO have your fuel-burning appliance inspected by a professional. Fuel-burning appliances include oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fireplaces, and wood stoves.
- DO have appliances that vent fumes to the outside and are properly installed.
- DO read and follow the instructions for any fuel-burning appliance.
- DON’T idle your car in an enclosed area, such as inside an attached garage.
- DON’T use a gas oven to heat your home.
- DON’T use a charcoal grill indoors.
- DON’T sleep in a room with an unvented gas or kerosene space heater.
- DON’T use gasoline-powered engines in enclosed spaces. Gasoline powered engines include mowers, weed trimmers, snow blowers, chain saws, small engines and generators.
- DON’T ignore symptoms. You may lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
It is sometimes hard to tell if someone has carbon monoxide poisoning, because the symptoms may resemble flu like symptoms. People who are sleeping or who are intoxicated can die before they have symptoms. A CO detector can warn you if you
have high levels of carbon monoxide in your home.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors are available through Safety Choice® by Comfort Keepers® and in stores and should be used when you have fuel-burning appliances in your home. You should not use the detector to give you a false security for not having your fuel-burning appliance properly inspected. Preventing CO in your home is better than relying on an alarm system to keep you safe.
You should never ignore an alarming CO detector. It is a warning that there is a potentially deadly hazard.
If the CO detector alarm goes off, you should:
- DO NOT TRY TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE CARBON MONOXIDE.
- Move immediately outside for fresh air.
- Call 911 and make sure everyone from the house is accounted for.
- Do not go back into your house until emergency services has determined it is safe for you to return.
- If the alarm was due to a malfunctioning appliance, make sure it is properly serviced before you attempt to operate.
Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.
photo credit: Victory of the People
