University of Maryland Medical Center News

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Tips and Fact Sheet

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Tips

Interview

Dr. Robert Rosenthal discusses what you can do to prevent exposure to carbon monoxide and how CO poisoning is treated, sometimes in a hyperbaric chamber.

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December and January are the peak months for carbon monoxide poisoning, as people may rely on malfunctioning furnaces or improperly adjusted fireplaces or gas stoves to keep warm. Snow that blocks car exhaust systems can cause a backup of poisonous fumes inside the vehicle and also lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center are often called upon to treat patients with carbon monoxide poisoning every year, and in some cases use a hyperbaric chamber for treatment. The hyperbaric chamber at the medical center's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center is the only chamber in Maryland that can accommodate more than one patient at a time.

While treatment is available, it is even better to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. For more information, listen to an interview with Dr. Robert Rosenthal (right) and see our carbon monoxide fact sheet below.

Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. Every year in the U.S., CO exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 emergency department visits and 500 deaths.

Symptoms include:

Headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea or even seizures. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure. If you think you have been exposed, seek medical care immediately.

Sources of carbon monoxide:

Anything that burns inefficiently, such as: leaking furnaces, gas water heaters, gas or wood stoves, and fireplaces; kerosene and gas space heaters not vented to the outdoors; generators and other gasoline-powered equipment used indoors; automobile exhaust from cars idling in the garage; tobacco smoke, and more...

Steps to reduce carbon monoxide exposure:

Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up your central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks promptly.
Never idle the car inside a garage.
Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
Never use generators or gasoline-powered tools indoors.
Install and use an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors over gas stoves.
Open flues when fireplaces are in use.
Choose properly sized wood stoves that are certified to meet EPA emission standards.
Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.

Early warning devices:

Carbon monoxide detectors are recommended for every level of your home -- especially in sleeping areas. They trigger an alarm when levels of CO rise to an unsafe level, warning you to leave the building. CO detectors are different from smoke and fire detectors, and are just as important.

Sources:

Robert E. Rosenthal, M.D., head of hyperbaric medicine at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center located at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He is also a professor of emergency medicine and anesthesiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html, accessed December 13, 2010

This page was last updated on: January 5, 2012.