According to the Journal of American Medical Association, there are at least 1,500 cases of death by carbon monoxide poisoning every year in this country, and there are an additional 10,000 CO injuries. Faulty oil-burning furnaces can create toxic conditions within a home that may, over a period of weeks or months, cause a chronic CO poisoning and make a family severely ill. Improperly installed or vented gas or oil-burning appliances and fireplace chimneys can create a CO build-up inside your family home which could prove deadly.
CO FACTS
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) is considered a "silent killer" and is created by a buildup of of toxic gasses inside the home when fuels are burned and are not properly vented.
- Unlike gasoline or natural gas, which has additives that give them sometimes visible fumes and a distinctive odor easy to detect, CO is odorless and invisible.
- A person inhaling CO can become unconscious within a matter of minutes or days, depending on how significant the toxicity levels are in the home.
- CO can cause brain damage or even death when inhaled.
- CO poisoning can be caused by idling cars in unventilated areas, faulty stovepipes or chimneys, faulty gas or oil burners, blocked tailpipes, use of charcoal grills indoors and broken or malfunctioning gas or oil water heaters.
Symptoms of CO Poisoning
Symptoms of possible CO poisoning include: dizziness, ringing in the ears, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, weakness, nausea, headache, fatigue, trouble concentrating, lethargy, confusion, stomach or intestinal distress, redness of skin, high blood pressure, unusually pink skin beneath the fingernails or bright pink gums, among other signs. But it is important to note that, even in the absence of symptoms, a person can become ill or even die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Ways to Protect your Family
- Install a Carbon Monoxide detector on every floor of your home, and change the batteries twice a year. (An easy way to remember to change the batteries on time is to switch them out during Daylight Savings Time and again when we "fall back" to Standard Time every year.
- Service your furnace, water heater and any gas or oil fueled appliances, including gas log fireplaces every year before you turn them on for the first time.
- Maintain chimneys and wood-burning stoves and fireplaces regularly, and have them checked by a professional at least once a year.
- Keep windows cracked whenever you are burning fuel--in a wood-stove, wood or gas-burning fireplace, gas oven or when cooking on a grill top.
- Clear all vents around your home to ensure that gas or oil fumes from dryers, water heaters and other heat-emanating sources can be properly released to the outdoors.
- Never run the car or a leaf-blower inside the garage, and never leave a car idling too long in any space that is confined or not well-ventilated
For more helpful information on how to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, visit http://www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html
