{"id":155,"date":"2008-12-01T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2008-12-01T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=155"},"modified":"2008-12-01T12:00:58","modified_gmt":"2008-12-01T12:00:58","slug":"carbon-monoxide-the-invisible-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2008\/12\/01\/carbon-monoxide-the-invisible-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon Monoxide: The Invisible Killer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Emergency physicians at Cooper University Hospital urge you to keep safety in mind when using fireplaces, gas-fired stoves, space heaters and furnaces as they can be fatal if not used and maintained properly.<\/p>\n

Heating systems are a leading source of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, with more than 300 CO-related deaths from home heating appliances reported nationally since 2002, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).<\/p>\n

To ensure your heating system\u2019s operational safety, the CPSC recommends a yearly professional inspection of chimneys, flues and vents for leakage and blockage by debris, and to make sure they\u2019re not loose or disconnected. Inspection also should include a check of appliances for gas leaks and adequate ventilation.<\/p>\n

Carbon monoxide, a by-product of incomplete combustion, is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas with the same density as air. Incidents occur in homes when CO levels rise above their normal 5 to 15 parts per million. At 30 or more parts per million, carbon monoxide can be deadly.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, kerosene and gas space heaters that aren’t vented, leaking chimneys and furnaces, gas water heaters, wood and gas stoves, tobacco smoke and automobile exhaust can elevate carbon monoxide levels in the home. Also, starting your car engine to warm your car parked in an enclosed garage or running an idle car in an attached garage even with the garage doors open can elevate CO levels inside the house, experts say.<\/p>\n

Cooper\u2019s Chief of Emergency Medicine Michael E. Chansky, M.D., said that symptoms of elevated levels of CO tend to initially affect indoor pets with higher metabolisms (such as birds). For people, symptoms often occur among household members simultaneously, he said.\u00a0 Symptoms typically improve when away from the CO source \u2013 for example, symptoms resolve while at work \u2013 and recur when at home.<\/p>\n

“It typically will start with headache, vision changes, nausea, vomiting or passing out,” Dr. Chansky said. “At danger levels, or longer periods of exposure, people may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, heart arrhythmias and even death. Proper diagnosis and therapy is vital,” Dr. Chansky said, noting, \u201cThe biggest catastrophe is when patients\u2019 early symptoms go undiagnosed or unrecognized, and then they die at home overnight when re-exposed to CO.\u201d<\/p>\n

To protect yourself and your family from this invisible killer, the CPSC recommends installing CO alarms in the hallway near bedrooms in each sleeping area.<\/p>\n

Also, exercise care in using portable heaters, including space heaters, which are one of the major causes of death in home heating fires. According to the CPSC, there were about 1,900 residential fires associated with portable heaters each year from 2003 through 2005.<\/p>\n

To help prevent deaths and injuries from space heaters, the CPSC urges consumers to:<\/p>\n