It is All a Matter of Detection

I recently heard a very scary story from my friend.  Her father had called her at work saying he was not feeling well, and that an alarm was loudly blaring in the background.  She made out the mechanical sounding words, “Carbon monoxide” by the alarm system.  Immediately she told her father to open the windows and called 911.  After rushing to her father’s home, she found the emergency services there tending to her father who had weakness and headache.  A neighbor had opened all the windows.  It turns out her father had accidentally left the car idling in the garage after driving it home.  The car exhaust built up a high level of carbon monoxide that seeped from the garage to the rest of the house.

My friend was very thankful for the alarm she had installed earlier.  A carbon monoxide detector can be a life saving device as the toxin, carbon monoxide, is colorless and odorless.  It cannot be detected any other way.  As described by its name, carbon monoxide is a compound with one carbon atom and one oxygen atom (“mono” meaning “one”).  Hemoglobin, which is the red substance in our red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout our bloodstreams, prefers to bind to carbon monoxide whenever it is available.  If given the choice between oxygen and carbon monoxide, the hemoglobin molecules will preferentially bind carbon monoxide.  This makes it a very dangerous substance, as lack of oxygen to the brain and to the heart can cause death.

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs most commonly in the winter time when heating systems are on, and when people with keyless ignitions start cars in enclosed spaces.  It can also occur if a fuel burning device, such as a generator, is used in the home.  Electrical heaters and appliances do not give off carbon monoxide.  To prevent carbon monoxide exposure, be sure to always turn off cars in garages.  Never use a generator or other fuel burning appliance in the home, unless it is vented properly.  Generators should be placed at least 25 feet away from the house.  Gas heating systems and gas burning appliances should be checked and maintained yearly.

Carbon monoxide detectors should be placed in every home.  They should be plugged in ideally on every floor of the house, but especially on the floor where bedrooms are located, in order to wake each person if there is a leak.  Do not place them near the furnace as often that is in a basement where no one can hear the alarm. 

The most common symptoms of poisoning by carbon monoxide are headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, weakness, and shortness of breath.  These symptoms can occur in many types of illnesses so unless the patient or family gives clues to their doctor about the possible exposure to carbon monoxide, often people are misdiagnosed.  The symptoms can be mixed up with flu or viral symptoms.  If there is any suspicion at all of carbon monoxide poisoning, please tell the health care providers immediately.

If someone is unconscious from carbon monoxide poisoning and not breathing, call 911 and start CPR immediately.  As soon as oxygen is available, place a mask on 100% oxygen.  A blood test for carboxyhemoglobin can be done in the emergency department to confirm the diagnosis.

With our recent record snowfalls in the Washington DC area, furnace vents could be blocked by mountains of snow.  There have been reports of carbon monoxide building up as the fresh air intake vents are blocked.  Not only furnace vents, but washer and dryer vents need to be cleared of snow.  As the cold weather kicks in this winter, be sure to properly maintain heating systems, place carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of your home, and never use a fuel burning device (such as a car or a generator) in an enclosed area.  The 500 deaths each year from carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States each year should not occur.  My friend’s father was saved by an alarm. 

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/environmental_medicine/carbon_monoxide_poisoning_85,P00820/

http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/27/carbon-monoxide-advice

http://www.nist.gov/el/highperformance_buildings/performance/generator_100609.cfm

http://patch.com/maryland/rockville/snow-covered-vents-outside-home-pose-danger-0