What are the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning

An invisible killer lurking in American homes and businesses will send more than 100,000 people to emergency departments across the country this year.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a tasteless, odorless threat that, even at low concentrations, can cause lasting damage in people who inhale it.

Once concentrations of the flammable gas exceed roughly 70 parts per million, particularly if a person has been exposed for as few as two hours, certain symptoms of bodily harm will manifest from the relatively minor such as dizziness and confusion to lasting neurological damage and even death.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable by keeping up to date with appliance maintenance and installing detectors in the home. Though the latter is highly effective, a paucity of Americans have installed life-saving carbon monoxide detectors.

Initial symptoms after just a few hours of low-level exposure tend to resemble those of the flu, but ontinued exposure can lead to enduring memory loss and confusion as well as mood changes

 Carbon monoxide is produced when fossil fuels burn without enough oxygen. This can occur via household appliances that run on gas as well as fires and clogged flues

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?

Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning often first present as flu-like symptoms including headache, weakness, upset stomach, and vomiting.

Early symptoms can also be confused for signs of food poisoning, as was the case in a young couple from California who vacationed at a luxe resort in Mexico only to die in their hotel room from apparent CO poisoning that they initially believed was caused by bad food.

Dr Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association, told DailyMail.com: ‘Since it’s odorless, tasteless, it can be very insidious and people don’t often equate these kinds of symptoms with carbon monoxide poisoning.

‘They might think they have a virus or it’s the flu, maybe they just need better-ventilated air, which they do, but then not make a connection that it’s carbon monoxide.’

More severe neurological effects will become apparent after sustained exposure – from days to months – to just low concentrations of the gas.

Continued exposure can lead to enduring memory loss and confusion. People have also experienced personality changes after exposure to CO.

By six weeks post-poisoning, over 40 percent of sufferers experienced higher rates of depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction.

Some people exposed to concentrations of around 150 to 200 parts per million may notice some movement and walking issues resembling those experienced by Parkinson’s sufferers.

A 2002 review published in the journal European Neurology reported that of 242 patients with CO poisoning examined between the years 1986 and 1996, nearly 10 percent experienced parkinsonism after an average of four weeks post-poisoning.

The most common symptoms were difficulty walking and maintaining a normal gait, impaired thinking, urinary incontinence, an inability to speak, muscle rigidity.

How does one get CO poisoning?

Carbon monoxide is produced when fossil fuels burn without enough oxygen.

Inhaling car or lawnmower exhaust is a leading cause. But people are also vulnerable to poisoning in the safety of their homes, especially if they live in smaller spaces.

Dr Rizzo said: ‘Unfortunately, even poorly functioning household appliances, stoves, furnaces, kerosene heaters, if they’re not properly vented, or not working in proper order, they’re going to produce more carbon monoxide than they should.

‘If this is a poorly ventilated space that’s going to build up and reach levels that will cause the symptoms.’

Gas-powered stoves and appliances such as dryers emit toxic CO. Faulty water heaters can also emit dangerous levels of CO if not maintained.

One study found that as many as 51 percent of gas kitchen ranges surveyed raised CO concentrations in the room above the EPA standard of 9 ppm, while five percent had carbon monoxide levels above 200 ppm.

How can it be avoided?

CO poisoning is entirely preventable, but it kills roughly 420 Americans and sends more than 100,000 of them to emergency departments each year.

Any person who believes they have been exposed to carbon monoxide should seek fresh air immediately, experts say. Something as simple as opening the garage door before starting the car can prove lifesaving.

Exposure is especially dangerous to older adults with certain pre-existing health conditions including chronic heart disease, anemia, or respiratory problems. Infants and unborn babies are also extremely vulnerable. CO poisoning greatly increases the risk of fetal death and developmental disorders.

Homes should also be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors, small appliances that look similar to common smoke detectors.

CO detectors can save lives, but only a paucity of American homes have them. In fact, while nearly 98 percent of patients in an emergency department surveyed in the summer of 2011 said their homes were outfitted with smoke detectors, just 44 percent said the same of CO detectors.

Low-income households in which residents earned less than $26,000 per year were the least likely to have a CO detector in or near their sleeping areas, the ideal place to have them.

In addition, minority groups, renters, and urban residents were also far less likely to have CO detectors at home for a variety of reasons, including cost barriers and a lack of awareness about the importance of having a couple installed.

Dr Rizzo said: ‘Things like carbon monoxide monitors and detectors should be readily available to individuals to be on each floor of the house. I know it’s a cost factor. These are relatively cheap, but not everybody can afford two or three carbon monoxide monitors in their home.

‘But that’s why it’s so important to be aware of it and to think about using a monitor especially if you use a lot of these gas-powered appliances at home and aren’t very well-ventilated.