Carbon monoxide
poses a real, and
needless, threat

 


 
By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY

 
Beware a "silent killer" making the rounds during
this winter's cold snap.

Carbon monoxide poisoning, one of the leading
causes of accidental poisoning in the USA, appears
to have taken the lives of two people and sickened
three others Tuesday in a Baltimore row house and
sent another young family in Bridgeport, Conn., to
the emergency room.

Earlier this week, five teens were found dead in a
Hialeah, Fla., hotel room, where they were
celebrating a birthday. Investigators suspect fumes
from a car they left running in a garage below the
room are to blame.

 
The colorless, odorless, tasteless gas kills more
than 400 people in the USA every year and sends
15,000 to emergency rooms, says the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

"Every year, when I hear about deaths like these, I
am heartbroken," says Paul Garbe, the CDC's branch
chief for air pollution and respiratory health.
"They're totally preventable."

Two ways to prevent such accidents, according to
Garbe:

•Have your heating system, water heater and any
other gas-, oil-, or coal-burning appliances
serviced by a qualified technician every year.

•Install carbon monoxide detectors on each floor,
especially where there are bedrooms. People who
are sleeping or have been drinking will often s
uccumb before waking. The best detectors plug
into an electrical outlet but have a battery backup. "If
you hear it go off, run from the house and then find
a way to call 911. Don't call 911 first."

The gas is released when burned carbon fuels are
not properly vented. Symptoms of poisoning
include headaches, nausea, fatigue and confusion.
Inhaling higher levels leads to unconsciousness
and death. The ill effects come on quickly like flu
and are often mistaken for it.

If you suspect the presence of gas, contact your fire
department, which has masks to enter unsafe
houses.

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    By Elaine Moore, Marion (Ind.) Chronicle-Tribune, via AP
Rescue workers in Marion, Ind., get ready to investigate a trailer where a family was found overcome by possible carbon monoxide poisoning last month.
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