You can't see it, smell it or taste it, but it can be silently and rapidly lethal. Every year over 200 people die from carbon monoxide (CO) and thousands of people go to hospital emergency rooms for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths in America. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. Household carbon monoxide poisoning is usually related to the malfunctioning or improper use of a water heaters, ovens, ranges, furnaces, gas or oil heaters. The gas is also emitted from burning charcoal grills and car exhaust. The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning increase during the winter months when people begin heating their homes. Taking steps to prevent and detect carbon monoxide exposure is important to ensure a healthy home and family.

Everyone's At Risk!

When carbon monoxide is inhaled it impairs the body's ability to use oxygen, starving the body's tissues and brain. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can be so subtle that many people ignore the symptoms. You may feel ill when you wake in the morning and better after a few hours away from home. Signs of early carbon monoxide poisoning often resemble the flu except that there is no fever. People who breathe CO may experience a headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, vomiting or confusion. Suspect carbon monoxide if everyone in the same house experiences similar symptoms. One particularly dangerous aspect of CO is that it causes drowsiness and many people are overcome while sleeping. It can then progress to loss of consciousness, brain damage and death. People at greatest risk are unborn babies, infants, young children, senior citizens and people with lung disease. Breathing in CO can increase chest pain in people with chronic heart disease. If you suspect you have carbon monoxide poisoning the first step is to get away from the source and get into fresh air. Tell your physician you suspect CO poisoning, which is easily diagnosed by a blood test. If CO is washed out of the body immediately with oxygen most people have no long-term effects.