Is Your Home Safe From Carbon Monoxide?
Responsible parents who safeguard their families with smoke alarms now have another necessity on their shopping list: home carbon monoxide detectors.
"Many families have their furnaces checked before the winter season, but carbon monoxide poisoning is often a ventilation problem," says Joseph Luria, MD, in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"The furnace may work fine, but if a bird builds a nest or the vent is clogged in some other way, the carbon monoxide builds up. The only reliable method for detection is a good, working carbon monoxide detector."
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless and colorless gas that forms during the incomplete combustion of carbon. This highly toxic gas can build up when kerosene heaters and non-electric furnaces are improperly vented.
Symptoms of Poisoning
"The most common symptoms are headache, dizziness, nausea and a general malaise, as if you have the flu," Dr. Luria says. "The tip-off, though, is that there is no fever." At extreme levels of carbon monoxide poisoning, people can experience weakness, clumsiness, confusion and unconsciousness. Their nail beds and lips may be red.
"If several people in the home experience the same sudden onset with the same symptoms, it's important for everyone to get out of the house and call the gas company immediately," he warns.
If the utility discovers a build-up of carbon monoxide, a representative will shut off the gas supply and attach a locking tag to the line. "The problem must be fixed before the utility will turn the gas back on," Dr. Luria says.
Carbon monoxide poisons its victims by combining with blood's hemoglobin, which is designed to carry oxygen to the body tissues. Since carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin 200 times more readily than oxygen does, the carbon monoxide starves tissues for oxygen. Carbon monoxide is not readily expelled from the body.
Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning kills about 600 people a year in America.
Treating Exposure
"It's not enough just to get into the fresh air. We want to check children, administer oxygen and monitor their carbon monoxide levels in the blood until they're back to normal," Dr. Luria explains. Pure oxygen helps remove carbon monoxide from the blood.
Oxygen can be given by a face mask or, for more serious cases, in a hyperbaric chamber at the University of Cincinnati, which infuses oxygen at higher-than-normal pressure. Physicians then monitor a patient's oxygen levels through blood tests.
"Children can have a complete recovery from carbon monoxide poisoning," Dr. Luria says, "but there can be prolonged effects if they've had significant exposure. They may experience a neuropsychiatric syndrome that shows up anywhere from a few days to months after the exposure to carbon monoxide.
"Patients may have personality changes and cognitive changes, such as problems with concentration and memory. These changes can persist for a year or longer. In these cases, continued testing is important to monitor recovery."
