Carbon Monoxide - Overview
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is the "invisible" killer. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. Every year more than 100 people in the United States die from unintentional exposure to carbon monoxide associated with consumer products.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is produced by burning fuel. Therefore, any fuel-burning appliance in your home is a potential CO source. When cooking or heating appliances are kept in good working order, they produce little CO. Improperly operating appliances can produce fatal CO concentrations in your home.
Running a car or generator in an attached garage can cause fatal CO poisoning in the home. So can running a generator or burning charcoal in the basement, crawlspace, or living area of the home.
Carbon monoxide clues you can see
•Rusting or water streaking on vent/chimney
•Loose or missing furnace panel
•Sooting
•Debris or soot falling from chimney, fireplace, or appliances
•Loose or disconnected vent/chimney, fireplace or appliance
•Loose masonry on chimney
•Moisture inside of windows
Carbon monoxide clues you cannot see
•Internal appliance damage or malfunctioning components
•Improper burner adjustments
•Hidden blockage or damage in chimneys
Only a trained service technician can detect hidden problems and correct these conditions! CO poisoning symptoms have been experienced when you are home, but they lessen or disappear when you are away from home.
Warnings
•Never leave a car running in a garage even with the garage door open.
•Never run a generator in the home, garage, or crawlspace. Opening doors and windows or using fans will NOT prevent CO build-up in the home. When running a generator outdoors, keep it away from open windows and doors.
•Never burn charcoal in homes, tents, vehicles, or garages.
•Never install or service combustion appliances without proper knowledge, skills, and tools.
•Never use a gas range, oven, or dryer for heating.
•Never put foil on bottom of a gas oven because it interferes with combustion.
•Never operate an unvented gas-burning appliance in a closed room or in a room in which you are sleeping.
Symptoms of CO Poisoning
The initial symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever) They include:
•Headache
•Fatigue
•Shortness of breath
•Nausea
•Dizziness
If you suspect that you are experiencing CO poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Leave the home and call for assistance from a neighbor's home. You could lose consciousness and die from CO poisoning if you stay in the home. Get medical attention immediately and inform medical staff that CO poisoning is suspected. Call the Fire Department to determine when it is safe to reenter the home.
Information provided by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Washington, DC 20207. To download the official brochure, visit the link below.
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