With the rising energy costs and trying to save money, many have went to extra measures to seal up the home. That combined with the cooler temperatures forcing people to spend more time inside the home greatly increases the chances of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that is commonly produced by fires, automobile exhausts, or charcoal, kerosene and gas stoves, furnaces or space heaters. With proper ventilation, these sources of carbon monoxide usually don't lead to any problems, but in poorly ventilated areas or with faulty ventilation, carbon monoxide levels can build and cause symptoms.
The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness and dizziness. These symptoms are produced because carbon monoxide interferes with the delivery of oxygen in the blood. With prolonged exposure, symptoms can include difficulty thinking and confusion, slurred speech, visual changes, fainting, seizures, trouble breathing, heart arrhythmias, low blood pressure, coma and even death. Carbon monoxide poisoning kills almost 300 people in the United States each year.
Children can have more severe symptoms at lower levels of carbon monoxide poisoning than adults. Infants may just be more irritable or lethargic. It can be easy to diagnose a child as having carbon monoxide poisoning if he is found in an enclosed area with poor ventilation and a source of carbon monoxide, such as a running automobile in a locked garage or after a house fire, but it can be more difficult if the source is a faulty gas stove or furnace, etc.
You should also suspect carbon monoxide poisoning if other family members have similar symptoms, if symptoms only occur in the house or in the car, etc., and you have a source of carbon monoxide; including any type of fuel burning appliances in your home. Treatments, in addition to making sure the child is breathing well, include removing the child from the source of carbon monoxide and administering 100% oxygen.
Some steps that you can take to minimize the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home are:
- Have your furnace and fireplace inspected for cracks, gaps, rust, corrosion or debris by a professional.
- Have gas appliances serviced yearly by a service technician.
- Stove burners should be cleaned to minimize the amount of carbon monoxide produced.
- Gas dryer vents should be checked for lint buildup that may restrict ventilation.
- Use non-electrical space heaters in well-ventilated areas only. Not for heating your home. Electric space heaters are more desireable in closed rooms.
- Never operated barbecue grills indoors or use stove tops or ovens that operate on flammable fuels to heat with.
- Never start or leave cars, trucks or other vehicles running in a enclosed area.
- Be aware that carbon monoxide can enter your residence through floor boards, cracks or underneath doors.
A carbon monoxide detector can alert you to the presence of carbon monoxide in your home, before it has a chance to build up to a level that can cause the symptoms. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends installing atleast one CO alarm near the sleeping areas in each household.