2005 Year in Review

Carbon Monoxide – The Silent Killer

Source: Pat Hildebrand, Extension Educator, Consumer and Family Economics

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that claims unsuspecting lives each year. Carbon monoxide poisonings are on the rise, and consumers should take steps to protect their families from falling victim to this silent killer.

"Carbon monoxide kills quickly," says Pat Hildebrand, a consumer and family economics educator with University of Illinois Extension. "Most people who die by carbon monoxide poisoning are killed while they sleep."

Each year, more than 500 residential deaths in the United States are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. It is responsible for more deaths than any other single poison. Sources of carbon monoxide include fuel-burning appliances such as gas furnaces, ovens, ranges, and portable heaters. Fumes from auto exhausts, improperly vented fireplaces, lighting charcoal inside the home, and even varnish remover can cause poisoning. It is also important that the door between the house and garage be closed when car engines are running.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and breathing difficulty. Prolonged exposure can cause cardiac trauma, brain damage, coma, and even death. The elderly, the fetus, and those with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases are particularly sensitive.

Hildebrand urges area residents to check their homes for these danger signs:

- streaks of soot on the door of gas-burning appliances
- no draft in the chimney
- excessive rust on flue pipes
- moisture collecting on windows and walls of furnace rooms
- water leaking from the chimney, vent, or flue pipe
- damaged and discolored bricks on top of the chimney
- yellow pilot flames in fuel-burning appliances (normal appearance is blue)

The best precaution against carbon monoxide poisoning is to have a qualified service technician inspect your fuel-burning appliances once a year. The next step is to install UL-listed carbon monoxide detectors outside sleeping areas and near all fuel-burning appliances. When buying a detector, look for the UL mark with the adjacent phrase, "Residential Carbon Monoxide Detector." If the unit is a plug-in type, test it monthly. A battery-operated detector should have the batteries changed at least once a year.

For more information about carbon monoxide, contact your local University of Illinois Extension office or view the Solution Series web page at Solutions Series http://www.solutions.uiuc.edu

by  Editor, theCity1.com
November 14, 2005