A 2007 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of unintentional, non-fire related deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. Because carbon monoxide (CO) gas is odorless, tasteless, and impossible to see, you can be easily overcome. Low levels of exposure can make you nauseous and tired, like you have the flu.
"Carbon monoxide impairs the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the tissues that need it. The brain is first, causing headaches, dizziness, and disorientation in addition to nausea and fatigue," says Michael Turturro, MD, FACEP. The Pittsburgh area emergency medicine physician is president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
We tend to think more about the danger of CO poisoning in the winter when we retreat to the warmth indoors. But deadly CO gas can come from several sources: charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces, and motor vehicles including gas-powered engines and tools such as generators, compressors, and power washers, according to the CDC.
The following examples show how workers in areas with closed doors and windows were incapacitated by CO gas within minutes. Opening doors and windows or operating fans does not guarantee safety, according to the CDC.
- A farm owner died of CO poisoning while using an 11-horsepower, gasoline-powered pressure washer to clean his barn. He had worked about 30 minutes before being overcome.
- A municipal employee at an indoor water treatment plant lost consciousness while trying to exit from a 59,000-cubic-foot room where he had been working with an eight horse-power, gasoline-powered pump. Doors adjacent to the work area were open while he worked. His hospital diagnosis was CO poisoning.
- Five workers were treated for CO poisoning after using two eight horse-power, gasoline-powered, pressure washers in a poorly ventilated underground parking garage.
- A plumber used a gasoline-powered concrete saw in a basement with open doors and windows and a cooling fan. He experienced a severe headache and dizziness and began to act in a paranoid manner. His symptoms were related to CO poisoning.
Dr. Turturro recalls a water skier who was overcome by skiing too closely behind the boat exhaust. He adds, “The best approach is an ounce of prevention. First and foremost, install CO detectors on each level of your home, especially by the bedrooms. Don’t operate gas-powered vehicles, appliances or tools in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces. Have all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting, and chimney systems checked by a qualified professional at least once a year.”