Carbon Monoxide Risks in the Home

May 18, 2012 - PRLog -- There are over 20,000 carbon monoxide-related emergency department visits reported in the United States every year.  Yet, less than 50% of all households have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector.  Here’s what you can do to protect your children from this poisonous gas.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that builds up in enclosed spaces from the incomplete burning of fuels in portable heaters, running cars, generators, and other machinery/appliances.  Inhaling CO depletes the body of oxygen, resulting in early warning signs that include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and disorientation.  More severe and prolonged exposure results in confusion, vomiting, loss of coordination, loss of consciousness, and sometimes even death.

To help minimize the risk of CO exposure, remember never to use a stove, oven, or clothes dryer for heating purposes.  Additionally, never use a grill or generator inside your home or garage.  Child safety advocate, Michael Pouls, adds, “very importantly, never leave a car running inside a garage.  Especially during the winter months, when people warm up their cars, it’s important to remember that is it not safe to leave the car running even if the bay doors are open.”

Beyond prevention, there is also detection.  Michael Pouls explains that “just like smoke detectors are a must in every household, so too are CO detectors.”    To help avoid the risk of CO exposure, install CO detectors in your home that meet the requirements of the current UL 2034 safety standards.  At a minimum, install a detector in a commonly used area near all bedrooms, plus a second detector in the basement.  

Michael Pouls advises parents to “test your CO detectors monthly to make sure you can hear the alarm and are familiar with how it sounds when activated.  Just like you have fire drills, your family should practice evacuating the home, in search of fresh air, so that you know what action to take if the detector ever activates.”  Specifically, your family should know that if the alarm does go off, everyone should immediately go outside for fresh air, and call 911 if you start to experience the symptoms described above.  For more child safety information, please visit michaelpouls.info.