The Silent Killer
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear carbon monoxide poisoning? I bet you picture a car running in the garage or maybe you don’t know what it is at all. This is something many of us don’t think of on a daily basis, if at all.
What if we told you every time you are in your home, there’s a chance you could be being exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission “About 170 people die in U.S. every year from CO produced by non-automotive consumer products.”
Where is the CO coming from?
Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas. It is important to know what products in your home may be exposing you to CO.
Some products include: Gas water heaters, Kerosene space heaters, Propane heaters and stoves, and fireplaces.
If your heating system isn’t properly vented, the toxic gas it emits could be being vented into your home without you knowing.
The Symptoms:
As the weather starts to get colder people will start turning up the heat. This means an increased risk of CO exposure.Many of the symptoms for CO poising are similar to typical weather changing illnesses.
Minor Symptoms
- headache
- nausea
- dizziness
- fatigue
Major Symptoms
- Mental confusion
- vomiting
- loss of muscular coordination
- Death
Medical News Today tells us that our bodies have no use for CO and if we breathe it in, it will deprive our blood of oxygen. Prolonged exposure can lead to brain damage or death.
Prevent It
There is around 10,000 carbon monoxide related injures diagnosed each year. This shows how important it is to know how to prevent CO poisoning in your home.
Get your heating system inspected and maintained yearly.
Make sure your systems are connected to the proper venting system.
Clean or get your venting system cleared of any blockages.
Get a carbon monoxide detector!
Safewise.com states that carbon monoxide detectors will sound an alarm when they sense a certain amount of CO in the air. If your detector goes off, get everyone out of the house immediately. If anyone is displaying any symptoms of CO poisoning call 911 immediately.
