Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning; the ‘Silent Killer’ That Can Be in Your Home
There are many dangerous things that can be harmful, whether out in the world or in the home. Among the variety of dangerous things that can harm us, the most lethal are those that no one can see coming. Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of those things.
If not taken care of, many common household gas powered appliances can continue to produce this toxic gas in our homes. Even burning wood in your fireplace incorrectly can produce CO. Any fuel that is incompletely oxidized can create this poison that takes lives every year.
Known as the ‘Silent Killer’, carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that comes from burning fuel, whether that fuel is gasoline, oil, coal, or wood. Either in small or large amounts, it can be dangerous to humans. In small amounts it can cause small symptoms like headaches and dizziness. But in larger amounts it can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and can even cause seizures.
If not rescued in time, too much CO can cause death. No doubt you read accounts of this happening every year. This toxic and dangerous gas can come from damaged gas powered appliances and can be a problem when it isn’t properly ventilated. One reason the powers that be tell you not to have a running generator in your home or even attached garage as an example.
What makes this gas toxic to humans is that it when your breath it in, carbon monoxide takes the place of oxygen in red blood cells. Instead of your body getting vital oxygen, it gets carbon monoxide, which can damage muscles and tissue.
Breathing in small amounts of carbon monoxide over time can be very damaging to the human body. Here you thought you had a simple cold or flu bug that just wouldn’t go away and in reality you and your family were being slowly poisoned. There are people that learn this every winter.
It can affect the central nervous system and brain, causing permanent damage to the lungs and heart, and in larger doses can lead to death. All these factors are what make carbon monoxide poisoning the number one cause of poisoning deaths in the United States according to emedicinehealth.com.
(However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number one cause of poisoning deaths is actually drugs – http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/poisoning.htm:
- “In 2005, 23,618 (72%) of the 32,691 poisoning deaths in the United States were unintentional, and 3,240 (10%) were of undetermined intent (CDC 2008). Unintentional poisoning death rates have been rising steadily since 1992.”
- “In 2004, 95% of unintentional and undetermined poisoning deaths were caused by drugs (WONDER 2007). Opioid pain medications were most commonly involved, followed by cocaine and heroin (Paulozzi et al. 2006).” –
Of those 23,618 above, CO caused a few hundred deaths according to the CDC FAQs on carbon monoxide poisoning at http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm.
“Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to CO poisoning.”)
Never fear, despite their danger, simple products like carbon monoxide detectors can warn you if your house has a dangerous amount of this toxic gas at a low price. All you have to do is plug the detector into your outlet and it will continuously check for the presence of carbon monoxide. These detectors are most effective if placed near a possible carbon monoxide source, such as a fireplace or heater. Place your detector as close to the ground as possible for further effectiveness.
If the detector goes off, evacuate the house and open up windows so the carbon dioxide can escape. Then call your gas company to help find the source of the leak. Prevention from carbon monoxide poisoning can make all the difference and another article will discuss such steps that you can take to prevent a disaster from this silent killer from happening.