Carbon Monoxide - What is it?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, extremely poisonous and explosive gas which causes 1,500 accidental deaths and more than 10,000 injuries each year. CO is slightly lighter than air and mixes throughout the atmosphere. It is a by-product of incomplete combustion, produced when fuels such as natural gas, propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal, gasoline or wood are burned with insufficient air.

Effects of CO Poisoning

When a person breathes in carbon monoxide, it is absorbed by hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in the blood. "Carboxy hemoglobin" is then formed, replacing oxygen, preventing its release in the body and eventually causing suffocation.

Mild Exposure: Flu-like symptoms including slight headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

Medium Exposure: Severe headache, drowsiness, confusion and a fast heart rate. Prolonged exposure to medium levels of CO can result in death.

Extreme Exposure: Loss of consciousness, convulsions, heart and lung failure, possible brain damage and death.

Sources of CO
Gas Stoves
Gas Space
Heaters
Wood Burning Stoves
Hot Water Heater
Fireplaces
Lawnmowers
Gas or Oil Furnaces
Pilot Lights
Car Exhaust Fumes
Charcoal Grills
Tobacco Smoke

How to Prevent CO Poisoning

There are many simple precautions you can take to protect your family from this silent killer.

• Inspect flues and chimneys for cracks, corrosion, holes, debris or blockages.
• Buy fuel-powered heaters with automatic shut-off features.
• Re-fuel heaters in well-ventilated areas.
• Service heaters and furnaces before the first use of the winter season.
• Open windows periodically to air out your house. Homes with energy-efficient insulation can trap CO-polluted air inside.
• Use a gas stove for cooking purposes only.
• Operate gas-burning appliances in a well ventilated room.
• Never leave a car running in a garage.
• Use charcoal grills outdoors, never indoors.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors. 

Features to Look for:

• Stops automatically when fresh air clears CO.
• Manual reset button and test button.
• Digital warning light and light to indicate power is on.
• Horn that sounds 85 decibels.
• Approval from a testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratory.
• Plug-in models should have a power cord that is least 6 feet long.

Maintenance and Testing

Keep your CO detectors dust free by vacuuming air vents regularly. Test your CO detectors each week simply by pressing the Test/Silence button to make sure that the alarm sounds. If the detector ever fails to test properly, have it repaired or replaced immediately.