Beware of Carbon Monoxide, a Silent Killer

As furnaces, wood stoves and heaters are pressed into service for the winter, being alert to the dangers of carbon monoxide could save your life, according to a North Dakota State University safety specialist.

"Carbon monoxide is a known killer, a silent killer," says George Maher of the NDSU Extension Service. "Carbon monoxide poisoning produces symptoms that are easily blamed on something else."

Headaches, caused by carbon monoxide in the air, result from a lack of oxygen in the blood going to the brain. Bluish fingernails are a result of oxygen-deprived blood. Carbon monoxide reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. This blood does not have the bright red color of healthy blood; it has a bluish tint, resulting in the blue fingernails.

"Carbon monoxide can affect you at very low levels, as little as one tenth of a percent, causing chronic headaches, fatigue, dizzy spells, and confusion," Maher says. "It affects everyone; senior citizens, youngsters, the unborn, and average people, too." Carbon monoxide accumulates in the blood and the level of carbon monoxide can be determined by a doctor with a carboxyhemoglobin test.

If combustion gases are present in the air, carbon monoxide will be there too. But Maher notes that carbon monoxide can be present without the presence of other gases of combustion. It is a by-product of the combustion of flammable fuels. Common producers of carbon monoxide are gas or oil furnaces, gas or oil water heaters, fuel burning space heaters, wood stoves, gas ranges, charcoal grills, and gas grills.

"If you have any of these appliances that burn a fuel then you really can’t afford not to have a carbon monoxide detector - it is essential to monitor the safety of your home," Maher says.

"A furnace with a cracked or burned-through heat exchanger can allow combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, to enter your home from the burning fuel," Maher says. "The end result can be fatal."

"The gases are distributed throughout the house by your hot air vents. It can be a deadly situation," he says.

But heating and cooking appliances don’t pose the only danger. Homes with attached garages have been found to have much higher levels of carbon monoxide than homes with un-attached garages, Maher notes. The higher gas levels are due to automobile engines running while parked in the attached garage.

Carbon monoxide is produced by automobile engines, gasoline and diesel, in very dangerous quantities and is drawn into the house through doorways connecting the garage to the house. Even small engines such as those on snow blowers and lawn mowers should never be run in a garage with the doors closed. Always open the garage door before starting any engine in the garage, and close the door a few minutes after stopping the engine, Maher advises.

"And, it is never safe to operate any kind of grill, charcoal or gas, in the attached garage of your home, even if the doors are open," Maher says. "Very dangerous levels of carbon monoxide will be produced by the burning fuel. Always do the grill cooking outdoors to minimize the levels of carbon monoxide in your home."

Even using a wood stove in an attached garage, either for heating or disposing of waste paper, is a dangerous practice that can produce dangerous carbon monoxide levels. Only an approved and properly installed heating system should be used in a garage attached to your home.

Maher notes that a smoke detector may not alert you to low levels of carbon monoxide in the air, but a carbon monoxide detector will. "If it goes off, producing the warning signal, get out of the house immediately," he urges. "Call the fire department from the neighbors house or a cell phone, but do not enter the house until the firemen determine it is safe to do so."

Regardless of which detector is selected for use in your home, maintain it with care. Replace the battery when it is needed, and test on a regular, weekly basis. "If you know your carbon monoxide detector is operating the way it is supposed to you can live and sleep a little more securely," he says.

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