Imagine this scene: It's a beautiful morning, your toddler is safely strapped in her car seat and the two of you are ready to go out for a day of shopping. You suddenly realize you forgot to leave a note for your teenager, so you race inside, leaving your little one in the car with the motor running and the garage door closed. She'll be okay alone for a few minutes, won't she?
Don't be so sure. The exhaust from your car is a source of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that can sicken and even kill within minutes of exposure1. Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because it's invisible, odorless and tasteless and can wreak havoc before you know it's there2. Your car isn't the only potential culprit, either. Read on to learn what else can produce carbon monoxide fumes in your home, what the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are and how to prevent it.
Where Carbon Monoxide Can Come From
Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as natural gas, gasoline, propane, oil, wood and coal are incompletely burned. It becomes dangerous when fuel-burning appliances and other devices are not properly vented, operated or maintained3. Common sources of carbon monoxide in your home and garage include:
Gas water heaters2
Gas stoves2
Gas refrigerators4
Gas clothes dryers4
Charcoal grills4
Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters2
Leaking chimneys and furnaces2
Wood stoves and fireplaces2
Generators, lawnmowers and other gasoline powered equipment2
Tobacco smoke2
Signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
When breathed, carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and displaces the oxygen going to vital tissues, something that can affect children more quickly because their systems are smaller. Low level exposure can cause mild, flu-like symptoms that get worse as exposure increases. At very high levels, carbon monoxide can cause permanent brain damage and death.
If your child suddenly becomes lethargic, unusually sleepy or displays irrational behavior, carbon monoxide poisoning could be a cause to consider. Other symptoms that may be experienced are:
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Confusion
Shortness of breath
Fast heart rate
Convulsions
Unconsciousness4
An Ounce of Prevention
A carbon monoxide detector can be essential to avoiding disaster. Experts recommend placing at least one detector on every level of your home and making sure everyone can hear it from their sleeping rooms. Batteries should be checked every year when you check your smoke alarms, and the unit itself should be replaced every five years.4
There are a number of things you can do to help keep your carbon monoxide detector from going off in the first place. Some should be part of your routine home maintenance; others are sensible steps to remember every day.
Have your fuel-burning appliances professionally inspected every year to make sure they're ventilated and working properly.5
Check the color of the flames in your gas burners and pilot lights. A yellow-colored flame could be a sign of too much carbon monoxide.4
Don't leave your car or lawn mower running in the garage, where fumes can build up quickly even if the door is open.4
Never try to heat your home with a gas oven, even for a few minutes.5
Never use a charcoal grill in the fireplace or elsewhere inside the house.5
Open the flues when you use your fireplace.5
Avoid operating gasoline-powered engines in closed areas in or near the house, garage or basement.4