Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, deadly gas. It can kill you before you know it because you can’t see it, taste it or smell it. At lower levels of exposure, it can cause health problems. Some people may be more vulnerable to CO poisoning such as fetuses, infants, children, senior citizens and those with heart or lung problems. When CO is breathed in by an individual, it accumulates in the blood and forms a toxic compound known as carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). Hemoglobin carries oxygen in the bloodstream to cells and tissues. Carbon monoxide attaches itself to hemoglobin and displaces the oxygen that the body organs need.

Carboxyhemoglobin can cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, confusion and irritability. Later stages of CO poisoning can cause vomiting, loss of consciousness and eventually brain damage or death.

Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion of fossil fuels. Fumes from automobiles contain high levels of CO. Appliances such as furnaces, space heaters, clothes dryers, ranges, ovens, water heaters, charcoal grills, fireplaces and wood burning stoves produce CO. Carbon monoxide usually is vented to the outside if appliances function correctly and the home is vented properly. Problems occur when furnace heat exchanger crack or vents and chimneys become blocked. Insulation sometimes can trap CO in the home.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Mendham Fire Department recommend installing at least one carbon monoxide detector with an audible alarm near the bedrooms. If a home has more than one story, a detector should be placed on each story.

Be sure the detector has a testing laboratory label.

The following is a checklist for where to look for problem sources of CO in the home:

1. A forced air furnace is frequently the source of leaks and should be carefully inspected.
   • Measure the concentration of carbon monoxide in the flue gases.
   • Check furnace connections to flue pipes and venting systems to the outside of the home for signs of corrosion, rust gaps, holes.
   • Check furnace filters and filtering systems for dirt and blockage.
   • Check forced air fans for proper installation and to assure correct air flow of flue gases. Improper furnace blower installation can result in carbon monoxide build-up because toxic gas is blown into rather than out of the house.
   • Check the combustion chamber and internal heat exchanger for cracks, holes, metal fatigue or corrosion. Be sure they are clean and free of debris.
   • Check burners and ignition system. A flame that is mostly yellow in color in natural gas fired furnaces is often a sign that the fuel is not burning completely and higher levels of carbon monoxide are being released. Oil furnaces with similar problems can give off an oily odor. Remember you can’t smell carbon monoxide.
2. Check all venting systems to the outside including flues and chimneys for cracks, corrosion, holes, debris, blockages. Animals and birds can build nests in chimneys preventing gases from escaping.
3. Check all other appliances in the home that use flammable fuels such as natural gas, oil, propane, wood or kerosene. Appliances include water heaters, clothes dryers, kitchen ranges, ovens or cook tops: wood burning stoves, gas refrigerators.
   • Pilot lights can be a source of carbon monoxide because the by-products of combustion are released inside the home rather than vented outside.
   • Be sure space heaters are vented properly. Un-vented space heaters that use a flammable fuel such as kerosene can release carbon monoxide into the home.
   • Barbecue grills should never be operated indoors under any circumstances nor should stove tops or ovens that operate on flammable fuels be used to heat a residence.
   • Check for closed, blocked or bent flues, soot and debris.
   • Check the clothes dryer vent opening outside the house for lint.

Click her to read about CO Alarms & Detectors

Prevention is the best way to keep your home safety from fire.

Be Kitchen Wise: Never leave cooking unattended. Use oven mitts and wear clothes with tight-fitting or rolled-up sleeves when you cook. Use a kitchen timer and remind yourself to turn off burners and the oven. Keep stove surfaces free of clutter and built-up grease. Don’t cook if you’ve been drinking alcohol or taking medication that makes you drowsy.

Be Smoker Wary: Provide smokers with large, deep, non-tip ashtrays.

Empty ashtrays often, wetting the contents before dumping them. Never smoke in bed or while drinking alcohol or while you are on medication that could make you drowsy or disoriented.

Give Space Heaters Space: Keep portable heaters and space heaters at least three feet (one meter) from everything — including you. Just brushing against one could set your clothing on fire.

Install Smoke Detectors: Be sure to have smoke detectors outside or in all sleeping areas, and on every level of your home, including the basement. Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries once a year or when the detector is “chirping” to indicate that the battery is low. If you sleep in a room with the doors closed, install a smoke detector inside the room as well. If you are hearing impaired, use tested and approved smoke detectors that trigger a strobe light.

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE

Know Two Ways Out: Plan two escape routes from every room in your home.

Know How to Unlock Doors and Windows: Windows should open easily and fully, to allow escape. All security-barred windows and doors needed for escape should be equipped with quick-release devices that every household member can operate.

Know All Building Exits: If you live in an apartment building, count the number of doorways between your apartment and the two nearest exits.

No matter where you live, be familiar with all exits, including windows. If you have trouble with stairs, it may be best to sleep on the first floor.

IF YOU ARE TRAPPED

Remain calm. Close all doors between you and the smoke. If there is a phone in the room, call the fire department and tell the dispatcher where you are trapped. Call the fire department even if you can see fire trucks through your window. Stuff rags, towels, or clothing in the cracks around doors to keep smoke out. Wait at a window; signal the fire fighters by waving a light colored cloth or flashlight and wait to be rescued.

IF FIRE STRIKES…

Test Doors Before You Open Them: Kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you can and touch the door, the knob, and then space between the door and its frame with back of your hand. If the door is cool, open it cautiously and continue along your escape route. If it is hot keep the door closed and seek an alternative escape route or stay in your room.

Crawl Low Under Smoke: If you must exit through smoke, crouch or crawl. Heat and smoke rise; cleaner air will be 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) above the floor.

Get Out and Stay Out: Leave the building as quickly as you can. Call the fire department from a neighbor’s phone. Do not go back into the building for any reason.

Stop, Drop, and Roll: If your clothing catches fire, stop where you are; drop gently to the floor or ground, cover your face with your hands to protect your face from flames, and roll over and over to smother the flames. If you cannot drop to the floor smother the flames with a blanket or towel.

Smother a Grease Fire: If a pan of food catches fire, using a pot holder, carefully slide a lid over it and turn off the burner.

*Reprinted from the NFPA pamphlet “Fire Safety Tips for Older Adults”