Carbon Monoxide Dangers Increase as Temperatures Decrease in Texas

One of the deadliest household hazards, especially during cold weather, is carbon monoxide poisoning from common household heaters and from automobiles in closed garages.

In November, a Texas mother and her two daughters narrowly escaped death when their family dog alerted neighbors that something was wrong. The neighbors found the family unconscious from early-stage carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty burner in a heater. The story ended happily, thanks to the terrier, but the odds were great that the family could have died.

Dr. William R. Archer III, Commissioner of Health for the Texas Department of Health (TDH), says, "Not everyone is as lucky as that family. Every home should have carbon monoxide detectors installed near the bedrooms."

Accurate and inexpensive alarms similar to smoke detectors are available in stores and are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for installation in all dwellings, Dr. Archer says.

According to Dennis Perrotta, chief of TDH's Bureau of Epidemiology, each year in Texas, deaths are linked to carbon monoxide poisoning from unsafe heating devices and from automobile exhausts.

Perrotta says that nine Texas residents died in 1996 because of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Such poisonings generally occur during cold weather, when people are prone to sacrifice ventilation for warmth," Perrotta says. "Often the source of the odorless gas is a poorly maintained space heater or a stove burner with a flickering flame. Smoldering fireplaces also release high levels of the gas."

Perrotta explains that carbon monoxide is a by-product of any kind of fire. Hot fires usually burn off and eliminate dangerous levels of carbon monoxide as well as other gases. But flickering or smoldering fires - such as clogged space heater jets, stove burners turned low and fireplace embers - do not burn efficiently enough to keep carbon monoxide at safe levels.

"Burning charcoal in a barbecue grill is one of the most common sources of carbon monoxide, and should never be used for indoor heating," he adds.

The people most at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning are infants, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with heart or lung problems.

Perrotta says that the first symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are so subtle that many people may have experienced mild forms of the poisoning without knowing it. Anyone who has awakened with a headache or dizziness after sleeping in a tightly closed room heated by an unvented space heater may have felt the gas' earliest effects. In such cases, the carbon monoxide has only begun to replace the normal oxygen level in the victim's bloodstream.

In more extreme cases, the victim may also feel excessive weakness, nausea or drowsiness which can lead to convulsions or coma and death. A contributing factor in these poisonings is that the drowsiness and impaired judgment caused by the gas may cause the victim to fall asleep without realizing the danger.

Anyone who suspects symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning should immediately go outside for fresh air, then make sure all other occupants of the home or building are safe. Emergency medical treatment is necessary for anyone showing severe poisoning symptoms. Even after treatment, it may take a victim several hours or days to regain normal oxygen levels in the blood.

For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning, contact the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-POISON-1. In an emergency, dial 911.

- From the Texas Department of Health

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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