Facts and Concerns about Carbon Monoxide (CO)
The following symptoms are related to carbon monoxide poisoning and should be discussed with all members of the household:
Mild Exposure
Slight headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue (often described as "flu-like" symptoms).
Medium Exposure
Severe throbbing headache, drowsiness, confusion, rapid heart rate.
Extreme Exposure
Unconsciousness, convulsions, cardiopulmonary failure, death.
Young children and pets may be the first affected by CO poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, which is very toxic and nearly impossible to detect without the use of sensing equipment. Carbon Monoxide can be absorbed into the body's bloodstream nearly 10 times faster than pure oxygen. Thus it can limit the body's ability to absorb oxygen whenever carbon monoxide is present, even in small amounts. This reduced ability of the body to absorb oxygen is known as chemical asphyxiation and it can result in death whenever carbon monoxide is present in small quantities over a period of time.
Carbon monoxide results from incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as natural gas, charcoal, wood, coal, heating oil, kerosene, gasoline and propane. Many of these fules can be found throughout the home, for example in kitchen appliances, furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, portable heaters, barbecue grills and automobiles. If incomplete combustion occurs in any of these devices and they are improperly vented to the outside, the danger of CO poisoning exists.