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Why Worry About Carbon Monoxide (CO)?

BECAUSE IT CAN KILL YOU!

How does it kill someone?

When CO is inhaled, it enters the blood stream and reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the vital organs such as the heart and the brain. It bonds with the hemoglobin in the blood instead of oxygen to form carboxyhemoglobin.

CO bonds with the blood's hemoglobin 200 times easier than oxygen. With such an easy attraction, the oxygen in the blood is displaced with CO and organs such as the heart and brain, which require large amounts of oxygen to function properly quickly suffer.

Why is CO unusually dangerous? It is known as the "silent killer" because it is colourless and odourless. The person getting poisoned may have no idea it is happening. They fall unconscious and succumb to the poison if not treated. in time.

The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim's health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body's ability to use oxygen ( ie., emphysema, asthma, and heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.

Low levels of CO for an extended period of time can be just as lethal as one short, high exposure.

When a pregnant woman is exposed to CO, her foetus will eventually come to have a higher level of CO poisoning than her own circulation, according to Carbon Monoxide Headquarters in the United States of America.

Some reasons for this include:

• More rapid metabolic rate.
• High level, continuous use of oxygen.
• More rapid cell division.
• Naturally low oxygen environment.
• High affinity of fetal hemoglobin for CO.
• Unable to move away from the source.

CO poisoning can have long term effects on the baby after birth. These include birth defects such as:

• Anatomical defects.
• Learning and memory deficits.
• Behavioral deficits.
• Neurochemical changes.
• Low birth rate.
• Prematurity.

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
Can be confussed with flu symptoms, food poisoning and other illnesses.

• Shortness of breath.
• Nausea.
• Dizziness.
• Light headaches.
• Headaches.
• Unconsciousness.
• Person may feel better away from home.
• Different members of a family may be affected at varying levels of CO due to health and age differences. The young, the old, and the infirm tend to be affected first.

Most CO poisoning happens during a single incident but it is possible to suffer from chronic CO poisoning when a person is exposed to low levels of CO over weeks or months. They can experience symptoms the entire time of exposure.

Even with proper medical treatment, it can take several hours to flush out CO from the body. During this time additional damage to the body can become apparent. Many people poisoned by CO require many months to recover. Even single-incident CO exposures can have long-term health consequences such as:

• Cardiovascular manifestations.
• Neurological dysfunction.
• Brain damage.

These effects can develop days or weeks after the exposure. In 14 percent to 40 percent of serious initial CO poisonings the exposed individual still faces the possibilities of delayed neurologic dysfunction.

WHAT CAUSES CO?

CO results from the incomplete burning of common fuels such as natural gas or liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, oil, wood or coal. A properly functioning heating appliance will normally vent all the products of combustion to the outdoors. If the appliance, chimney flue or venting system is plugged, defective or improperly adjusted, it can cause the products of combustion, including CO, to enter the living space.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says if you are experiencing the symptoms of CO poisoning, you should:

• Open windows and doors for more ventilation.
• Turn off any combustion appliances.
• Leave the house.
• Call your fire department and report your symptoms. You could lose consciousness and die if you do nothing.
• Contact a doctor immediately for a proper diagnosis. Tell your doctor that you suspect CO poisoning is causing your problems. Prompt medical attention is important in CO poisoning cases.
• Before turning your fuel -burning appliances back on, make sure a qualified serviceperson checks them for malfunction.
• Have your chimney or vent system inspected by a CSAI certified chimney sweep.

HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM CO POISONING?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) urges individuals to follow these steps:

• Install listed CO alarms inside the living area in a central location outside each separate sleeping area. If bedrooms are spaced apart, each area will need a CO alarm. Each alarm or CO detector should be located on the wall, ceiling, or other location as specified in the installation instructions that come with the unit.
• Call your local fire department's non-emergency number to find out what number to call if your CO alarm sounds. Post this number by each phone.
• If your CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location and call for help. Remain at the fresh air location until emergency personel say it is okay.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace CO alarms according to the manufacturer's instructions. CO alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms. Know the difference between the sound of your smoke alarms and CO alarms.
• Have fuel-burning heating equipment (fireplaces, furnaces, water heaters, wood and coal stoves, space or portable heaters) checked by a qualified person each year. Have your chimneys inspected by a CSAI certified chimney sweep every year before the cold weather arrives.
• When purchasing new heating equipment select products tested and labeled by an independent testing laboratory.
• When using a fireplace, open the flue for adequate ventilation.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle, generator, or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if the garage doors are open.
• During and after a snow storm, make sure vents for the clothes dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
• When camping, remember to use battery-operated lights in tents, trailers, and motor homes.
• A generator should be placed well away from the house because CO can get pulled into the house through vents or open doors or windows.
• Never burn charcoal inside the home or garage. Charcoal gives off large amounts of CO when it is burned. Never burn charcoal in a fireplace.

Here is a chart showing the concentration of CO in the air measured in parts per million (ppm) and the expected reaction of a healthy adult. Remember that the young, the old and the physical infirm can react at a much lower CO levels.