Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

You can’t see it, you can’t smell it, but you can prevent it

An odorless, tasteless, colorless gas, carbon monoxide (CO) is a potentially deadly danger that may be in your home right now.

A byproduct of burning fossil fuels, CO can quickly build up in poorly ventilated spaces. Common sources of CO in the home include:

  • Furnaces and gas heaters

  • Kerosene heaters

  • Fireplaces and wood stoves

  • Gas stoves and ovens

  • Portable generators

With the increased use of heating sources in winter and the sealing of doors and windows to keep out winter’s chill, the risk of increased CO levels in the home increases.

When breathed in by people or animals, CO builds up in the blood replacing oxygen in red blood cells. This can lead to serious tissue damage and, as noted, death.

Symptoms of CO poisoning vary based on the level and length of exposure.

Mild symptoms are commonly mistaken for the flu and include:

  • Headache

  • Fatigue

  • Shortness of breath

  • Nausea

  • Dizziness

  • Chest pain

High-level exposure can cause:

  • Mental confusion

  • Vomiting

  • Loss of coordination

  • Loss of consciousness

  • Death

While CO is undetectable to humans, CO detectors can alert you to dangerous levels.

Available online and at most hardware stores, detectors range from $15 to $50 and last up to 10 years.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends installing at least one carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home, including the basement. Detectors should be positioned within 10 feet of each bedroom and near or over any attached garage. Much like a smoke alarm, a CO detector will emit a loud noise when the gas is detected. Never ignore a CO alarm or attempt to find the source.

If you hear the alarm or even just suspect poisoning:

  • Immediately move outside to fresh air

  • Call the gas company, fire department or 9-1-1

  • Make sure every person and/or pet in your home is accounted for

  • Do not re-enter the home until emergency responders tell you it’s safe to do so

Be sure to test or change the batteries in your CO detector every six months. 

Other steps you can take to prevent CO poisoning include:

  • Have your heating system, water heater, and any other gas, oil, or coal-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.

  • Keep vents and flues free of debris

  • Never leave the engine running in a vehicle parked in an attached garage or carport

  • Never run a gasoline-powered engine (motor vehicle, generator, pressure washer) less than 20 feet from an open window, door, or vent

  • Never use a charcoal grill, hibachi, lantern, or portable camping stove inside a home, tent, or camper

  • Never run a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine inside an enclosed structure or basement, even if the doors or windows are open

 

CO poisoning is entirely preventable.  Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s CO Poisoning webpage to learn more.

 

Sean Burns, MD, is the SVMC EMS Medical Director/District 12 Medical Advisor. 

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Resuming Regular Care

So many important medical appointments were booked for March and April and canceled during the height of the pandemic. Now we are beginning to refocus on the fact that skipping appointments, even if you are feeling well now, could become harmful.

One important group of patients that we are eager to see are those with serious chronic conditions. These diseases require patients to see their primary care provider or a specialist at least once a year and sometimes far more frequently than that. Those with heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for instance, all require regular contact with your provider.

Another group of patients we'd like to see are those with new medical concerns. We know that new medical concerns don't stop during a pandemic. Some conditions, like depression and anxiety, are far more prevalent during a pandemic than before. In many cases, new conditions are easiest to treat when patients first notice symptoms, and delaying care for these conditions can be dangerous.

Even regular care for those who are healthy is as important as ever. Other diseases—cancer in particular—haven't gone away. So, if you would normally be getting a screening such as a colonoscopy or mammogram, it's time to schedule an appointment. Many cancers can be detected and treated early with better outcomes. We can only expect those good results, if people are screened.

For children, regular vaccines are very important. If a big portion of the population neglects to get important childhood vaccines on schedule, we may be susceptible to outbreaks of measles or whooping cough.

There are many steps we have taken to improve safety for those seeking medical care. The first one is the availability of telemedicine. If the condition you are seeking treatment for does not require diagnostics or a physical exam, your provider can meet you virtually using any Internet-enabled device or over the phone. See details here.

If you do need to come to the office, you will notice check-ins at entrances, where staff check patients and visitors for respiratory symptoms and ensure that all are masked. You'll also notice efforts to space the waiting rooms to improve social distancing.

So how do you get the care you need?

  • If you have a primary care provider, call in to see what you may have missed during the pandemic. Did you miss an appointment to manage a chronic condition? Also share any new health concerns you have and check that you and your family members are up to date on all of your screenings and vaccinations.
  • If you don’t have a regular doctor, it makes sense to get one now. Locally, call the find-a-provider line at 802-447-5007 for a directory of practices that are accepting new patients.
  • Those with time-sensitive medical needs can use ExpressCare, a walk-in clinic, on the hospital campus in Bennington. Be sure to call ahead to 802-440-4077 if you have respiratory symptoms.
  • For Emergency Care, always come directly to the SVMC Emergency Department.

Most off all, we want our patients to know that we are here for them. There is no longer a need to delay medical care, whether for known conditions, new concerns, or preventive care. In every step we take, we are protecting patients against COVID-19 and helping patients with all of their other medical needs, too.

Bob Schwartz, MD, is associate medical director of Dartmouth- Hitchcock Putnam Physicians at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester.

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