Carbon Monoxide: The Silent, Cold Weather Killer (online article)
January 2010
By American Industrial Hygiene Assn.
Carbon Monoxide - The Silent, Cold Weather Killer
Public Information and Safety Tips
Each year,
nearly 5,000 people in the United States
are treated in hospital emergency rooms for carbon
monoxide (CO) poisoning. This number is, however,
believed to be an underestimate of those poisoned
because many people exhibiting the symptoms of CO
poisoning mistake these symptoms for the flu or are
misdiagnosed.
Why is CO the silent cold weather killer?
CO is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas. It is
produced by the incomplete combustion of solid,
liquid, or gaseous fuels. Appliances fueled with gas,
oil, kerosene, or wood may produce CO. If such
appliances are not installed, maintained, and used
properly, CO may accumulate to dangerous and even
fatal levels in cars, homes, or poorly ventilated
areas.
CO poisoning can kill without warning as your
family sleeps. Because CO gas has no odor-warning
properties even at toxic or life threatening levels, it is
considered a silent killer. And, since so many deaths
occur as the result of defective or poorly operated
home heating devices, CO has been termed
the \"silent, cold weather killer.\"
Where Does CO come from?
CO
is
produced by products that burn fuels. Therefore, any
fuel-burning appliance in your home is a potential CO
source. Electrical heaters and electric water heaters,
toasters, etc., do not produce CO because they don\'t
involve combustion of fuels. Under normal
circumstances, CO levels in the typical home or
workplace should not be above levels found
outdoors.
When appliances are kept in good working
condition and are properly vented, they produce little
CO. Improper installation, operation, or poorly vented
appliances can produce elevated - or even fatal -
CO concentrations in your home. Likewise, using
kerosene heaters or charcoal grills indoors or running
a car in a garage can cause levels high enough to
result in CO poisoning.
Common sources of CO include the
following:
Room heaters (not radiant or electric)
Furnaces
Charcoal grills
Cooking ranges (not electric)
Water heaters (not electric)
Automobiles run in closed garages
Fireplaces
Portable generators
Wood-burning stoves
Who is at risk of CO poisoning?
Any person or animal in a space shared with a
device
capable of generating CO should be considered at
risk of CO poisoning. CO exposures especially affect
unborn babies, infants, and people with anemia or a
history of heart disease. Breathing low levels of the
chemical can cause fatigue and increase chest pain
in people with chronic heart disease.
Although not always experienced, the initial
symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu, but
without the fever. They include:
Dizziness
Fatigue
Headache
Nausea
Irregular Breathing
It is critical to note that death from CO poisoning
can occur quickly or when sleeping, with some or all
of these symptoms never
being experienced, in which case, the overexposed
victim becomes unconscious and never regains
consciousness.
How can CO poisoning be prevented?
Dangerous levels of CO can be prevented by proper
appliance installation, maintenance, and use. Periodic
inspections of potentially CO-producing equipment,
and the use of CO alarms,
are also key to avoiding a CO fatality.
Founded in 1939, the American Industrial
Hygiene
Association (AIHA) is the premier association of
occupational and environmental health and safety
professionals. AIHA\'s members play a crucial
role on the front line of worker health and safety
every day. Members represent a cross-section of
industry, private business, labor, government, and
academia. For more information, go to www.aiha.org.