October 2005
Detect CO Before It Kills
Carbon monoxide (CO), often called the "silent killer," can be hazardous to your health. You're exposed to this colorless, odorless gas almost daily.
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 15,000 U.S. residents visit emergency centers annually from excessive carbon monoxide exposure. About 500 of these residents die from CO poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is common. Your automobile's exhaust contains CO, and your natural gas appliances produce CO during use. CO becomes harmful when you're exposed to higher concentrations.
Your body responds soon after you inhale high levels of carbon monoxide. Once the poisonous gas enters your body, it travels through your bloodstream replacing the oxygen molecules. Without oxygen, your brain and heart cannot function properly.
Your body begins experiencing flu-like symptoms: headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, confusion or breathing difficulty. Higher concentrations of CO can cause vomiting, loss of consciousness, brain damage and sometimes death.
These flu-like symptoms can be deceiving. While you think you're experiencing the flu, your body is reacting to the CO.
You're safe from CO as long as you maintain your gas appliances and properly vent them to the outside. To ensure properly functioning appliances, have a licensed heating and air contractor complete the installation and routinely inspect the appliances and the outside venting.
For your protection, install a carbon monoxide detector. CO detectors recognize accumulated levels of CO. Install detectors outside every sleeping area of your home and routinely check the detectors once a month. Replace the battery if necessary.
If the detector's alarm sounds, react quickly. Turn off any fuel-burning appliances and evacuate your family from the home. Report the CO alarm warning to your local fire department, or other designated agency.
Call the administrative number for your local fire department after installing a CO detector to find out who the appropriate contact is for carbon monoxide emergencies. Post this number with your other emergency numbers.
Visit an emergency room immediately if you or another member of your family experiences any symptoms of CO poisoning and tell the doctor you suspect CO poisoning.
CO detectors shouldn't be your only prevention method for CO poisoning. Protect your fuel-burning appliances from producing harmful levels of CO. Natural gas appliances should be tuned-up annually, including: furnaces, water heaters, ranges, dryers, space heaters and fireplaces.
Guard your family and home from unwanted carbon monoxide. Contact a licensed professional before the heating season rush and install CO detectors in your home. Then, rest assured that your family is safe from carbon monoxide.
Find more information on carbon monoxide at nfpa.org.
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