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Carbon monoxide poisoning is prevented in two ways: by preventing carbon monoxide from forming in the first place and by detecting carbon monoxide in your surroundings early enough to escape it.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas. This invisible killer is sometimes referred to by its chemical symbol of CO. Carbon monoxide poisoning can make one feel ill, cause brain damage, or result in death, depending on the amount of carbon monoxide that has been taken into the bloodstream.
Carbon monoxide gas forms as a by-product during the burning of natural gas, liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, coal, oil, kerosene, charcoal, or wood. Fuel-burning appliances like furnaces, water heaters, and stoves are a potential source of carbon monoxide. Barbecue grills, cars and trucks, and power generators are other sources.
Improper venting and appliance malfunctions can allow CO to build up to dangerous levels. In tightly sealed homes with energy efficient construction, a condition known as back-drafting can develop if air pressure inside the house is lower than outside air pressure. In that situation CO gasses can be sucked back into the house, even though appliances have been vented. Insufficient air in a small room holding multiple sources of combustion, like a tiny utility closet with both a furnace and a hot water heater, can also lead to a form of back-drafting.
Here’s a Do/Don’t list for preventing harmful carbon monoxide levels at home.
- Do inspect stoves, furnaces, and water heaters regularly for proper operation.
- Do have fuel-burning appliances installed and maintained by trained technicians.
- Do monitor gas flames for color; they should be blue, not yellow or orange.
- Do inspect and clean chimneys and fireplace flues for cracks and blockage.
- Do clean gas dryer ductwork and vents and ensure that vents aren’t blocked outside.
- Don’t use a charcoal grill or hibachi inside a home, tent, or vehicle.
- Don’t use a gas oven for heat.
- Don’t run a generator indoors or in any enclosed space.
- Don’t run your car’s engine in a closed garage.
- Don’t leave a car idling in a garage attached to a house even if the garage door is open.
- Don’t run lawn mowers, snow blowers, or weed whackers in a closed garage or shed.
- Don’t use an unvented fuel-burning heater in a room where people are sleeping.
Carbon monoxide detectors, devices comparable to smoke detectors, can alert you to dangerous levels of CO. If you have no detector installed, you have to rely on the symptoms of CO poisoning to signal a problem.
Early symptoms mimic the flu or food poisoning, but without any muscle aches. These include headache, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness. A higher level of exposure leads to disorientation and confusion, which will be followed by unconsciousness if a person is not removed from the CO-contaminated environment. If more than one person in a household experiences symptoms at the same time, there’s an increased likelihood that CO is the culprit. CO does its damage by reducing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. The unborn, the young, the elderly, and people with heart or respiratory problems tend to be affected soonest.
To detect unacceptable levels of CO before anyone experiences symptoms, install carbon monoxide detectors. They measure CO in the air as a number of parts per million (ppm). The Underwriters Laboratory standard for a residential detector (UL 2034) requires that an alarm be sounded if CO levels stay at 70 parts per million for an hour. The health effects of levels below 70 ppm are unknown and most people feel no symptoms at those levels. Symptoms generally appear after exposure to 200 ppm for two to three hours. Levels from 0-2 ppm are considered normal. In areas with heavy vehicle traffic nearby, normal numbers may be higher due to CO levels in the outdoor air caused by exhaust.
There are many kinds of detectors. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation and placement. Most have the same general guidelines. Detectors should be installed on each level of your home. An alarm should be audible from every bedroom and loud enough to wake the sleeping. Battery-powered units need their batteries checked regularly.
When the presence of carbon monoxide is suspected or a detector alarm sounds, the important thing to do is get to fresh air quickly. Evacuate, leaving the door open behind you for ventilation. If anyone has symptoms of poisoning, call 911. If nobody has symptoms, return inside. Turn off any obvious source of carbon monoxide and ventilate further. Wait outside for the alarm to stop if a detector is sounding. Have someone come and check your fuel-burning appliances if you aren’t sure where the CO came from.
Be aware that carbon monoxide poisoning is also possible in the workplace, on aircraft, or in boats. Anyplace fuel is being burned in an enclosed space there is potential for CO poisoning.
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