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In the last week, there have been two national stories about families dying in their own homes from carbon monoxide poisoning. Such deaths are preventable when proper precautions are taken. In the US, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for 400 deaths and 100,000 emergency room visits per year.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas. It comes from heaters that burn fuel. The most common places in a home where carbon monoxide can be found are gas furnaces, gas stoves, gas water heaters, gas clothes dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, poorly vented fireplaces, gas generators, and vehicles in garages. Wherever these may be used in your home, it is imperative that they be properly and safely vented to the exterior of your home so that carbon monoxide does not build in concentration and poison you and your pets.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, confusion, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pain. High levels of carbon monoxide can be deadly within minutes because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives your heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. The antidote to carbon monoxide is oxygen.
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