CARBON MONOXIDE

What you don’t know could hurt you!

By : Valerie YorkPUBH 6165

Environmental HealthA general public presentation

GOAL

The goal of this presentation is to raise awareness about the life threatening dangers of carbon monoxide within the general public and to present information that can be utilized to prevent carbon monoxide illnesses and deaths.

OBJECTIVES

To describe what carbon monoxide [CO] is and how it can harm you

Inform the public of the sources or producers of CO

Identify the signs and symptoms of CO poisoning

Describe how to prevent CO poisoning from happening to you and your family

What is Carbon Monoxide?

(Benjah-bmm27, 2009)

• CO is a colorless, odorless, non-irritating gas • It is extremely poisonous and can cause death in a

matter of minutes [1]

• CO can not be detected by sensory mechanisms• It can cause sudden illness or sudden death before

a person is even aware of its presence [2]

1. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2010)2. (Prockop and Chichkova, Nov 2007)

Sources of CO

Automobiles Barbeque Grills Gas Heaters

& Furnaces

Some common sources of CO that we may use on a regular basis include automobiles, barbeque grills, gas heaters and furnaces (EPA,2010) & (CDC, 2009).

Sources of CO

Fireplaces and wood

stovesChimneys

Gas stoves and other appliances

Fireplaces, wood stoves, leaking chimneys, as well as gas and other fuel powered appliances such as stoves , water heaters and boilers can also produce CO (EPA,2010) & (CDC, 2009).

Sources of CO

Portable generators Lanterns Boats

*A single portable generator can produce as much as 100 times more CO gas than a car’s exhaust (NIST, 2009).

Portable generators, lanterns and boats are also sources of CO (EPA,2010) & (CDC, 2009).

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Results from breathing in CO All people and animals are at risk

Most Vulnerable

Infants and unborn babies

People with respiratory problems

People with chronic heart disease

People with anemia

(CDC, 2009a)

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common cause of accidental poisonings [1]

More than 50,000 Emergency room visits per year in the U.S. are attributed to CO poisonings [1]

CO poisonings result in more than 4,000 hospitalizations and more than 400 deaths per year in the U.S. [2]

1. (Weaver, 2009). 2. (CDC, 2009a).

Carbon Monoxide Statistics in the U.S. Emergency room

visits > 50,000/year (Weaver, 2009).Deaths > 400/ yr (CDC, 2009a)Hospitalizations > 4,000/yr (CDC, 2009a)

What happens in CO poisoning? Red blood cells pick up CO much faster than they can pick up oxygen (O2) (CDC, 2009a). If the CO concentration is high enough, oxygen may be blocked from entering the red blood cells

(CDC, 2009a). The replacing of O2 cells by CO is the main reason CO poisoning occurs (The Interactive Library,

1999). Low levels of oxygen reaching the tissues in the body mainly effects the brain and the heart, two

organs with high oxygen requirements (Murphy, 2010).

SYMTPOMS include : Headache, Confusion, Dizziness, Nausea, Vomiting, Chest Pain, Loss of Consciousness, DEATH! (EPA, 2010).

Prevention Install at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home and near sleeping areas [1]

Make sure you periodically check and replace the batteries in your

CO detector [1]

Have your heating system, gas appliances and water heaters serviced by a professional technician every year [2]

Look for indicators that appliances are not working properly or emitting toxic gases [1]

Never use a gas oven as a heat source for your home [2]

1. (Professional Safety, 2009).

2. (CDC, 2009b).

Prevention• Never run an automobile inside a garage even if the door is open

[2] • Never use a portable generator, charcoal grill or other gasoline or

charcoal-burning device inside your home, garage, basement or near a window [2]

• Place Portable generators at least 25 feet away from your home when in use [3]

• Have fireplaces, wood stoves, chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned

(if necessary) by a professional before every heating season [1]

• Make sure that stoves , fireplaces and space heaters are properly ventilated [2][1]]

1. (Professional Safety, 2009).2. (CDC, 2009b). 3. (CDC-TV, 2008).

Quiz True or False?

1. CO is a toxic, deadly gas?2. Some sources of CO include electric heating and stoves.3. Some symptoms of Co poisoning include fatigue, headache,

dizziness, nausea, chest pain and loss of consciousness.4. It is not okay to allow your car to run in your garage.5. It is okay to heat your house with a gas oven.6. Oxygen has a much greater ability can bind to red blood cells than

does CO. 7. It is okay to place your barbeque grill near a window on your patio.8. You can smell CO in your home when concentrations become high.9. Have your gas or propane appliances service every other year.10. Seek medical attention right away if you are feeling dizzy, light-

headed or nauseous and you suspect CO poisoning.

(CDC, 2009)

Comments Remember the symptoms of

CO poisoning

Practice Prevention Guidelines

Share Information with Others

For more information about CO and CO poisoning: - Contact your local health department or

your local fire department - Also visit the CDC’s website @ www.cdc.gov/co

References

Best Practices Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (2009). Professional Safety, 54(12), 1-1.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC-TV. (National Center for Environmental Health). (2008). The Quiet Killer. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/QuietKiller/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).( 2009a). Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Fact sheet. Retrieved June 26, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009b). Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Prevention Guidelines. Retrieved June 26, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/co/guidelines.htm

Interactive Library. (1999). Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous? Retrieved on July 1, 2010 from http://www.edinformatics.com/interactive_molecules/carbon_monoxide.htm

Murphy, S. (2010). Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Nursing Standards, 24(40), 50-55.

References

National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST). (usnisgov). (2009). How Close is Too Close for Portable Generators? [Video]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/user/usnistgov#p/f/13/jkO9PK4JvJI

Prockop LD, Chichkova RI (Nov 2007). "Carbon monoxide intoxication: an updated review". Journal of the Neurological Sciences 262 (1-2): 122–130. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2007.06.037.  

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2010). An introduction to indoor air quality: Carbon monoxide (CO). Retrieved on July 1, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html#Sources%20of%20Carbon%20Monoxide

 

References

Wang, D., Agrawal, D., Toruka, W., Chaiwatpongsakorn, C., Mingming, L. and Keener, T. (2010). Monitoring Ambient Air Quality with Carbon Monoxide Sensor-based Wireless Network. Communications of the ACM, 53( 5), 138-141.

Wang, S. , Emmerich, S., and Powell, R. (2010) NIST Technical Note 1666: Modeling the Effects of Outdoor Gasoline Powered Generator Use on Indoor Carbon Monoxide Exposures – Phase II .(NIST Technical Note 1666). Retrieved on July 1, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/co/pdfs/CDC_PhaseII_TN1666.pdf

Weaver LK (2009) Carbon monoxide poisoning. New England Journal of Medicine. 360, 12, 1217-1225.

 

Further ReadingCenters for Disease Control and Prevention CDC-TV. (

National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). (2008). The Quiet Killer. [video]. Available from www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/QuietKiller/

 Wang, D., Agrawal, D., Toruksa, W., Chaiwtpongsakorn, C., Mingming, L. and Keener, T. (2010). Monitoring Ambient Air Quality with Carbon Monoxide Sensor-based Wireless Network. Communications of the ACM, 53(5), 138-141.

Muscatiello, N., Badcock, G., Jones, R., Horn, E. and Hwang, S. (2009). Hospital Emergency Department Visits for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Following an October 2006 Snowstorm in Western New York. Journal of Environmental Health, 72(6), 43-48.