Cleveland 19 News Cleveland, OH
Two hundred people die every year across the United States due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Those deaths are preventable - especially if you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
Carbon monoxide is a by product of a fuel burning device. Exposure to the odorless, colorless gas can cause a headache, dizziness and nausea. In the later stages of carbon monoxide poisoning, you may even experience chest pains. Ultimately, continued exposure to carbon monoxide is deadly.
Capt. Kevin Szabo of the Elyria Fire Department says this is the time of the year when emergency crews get calls about carbon monoxide poisoning, even though at first, victims may not know that that is what they are experiencing.
"We would see probably at the start up of the really cold weather when the systems start working - working really hard - maybe they had a problem last year that didn´t get corrected. They made it through the winter and now coming into this winter the problem is still there," said Szabo.
Szabo recommends having two carbon monoxide detectors in your home just in case one fails.
"We´ve found that the plug in models they that give a reading tend to do a little bit better. The first generation of the carbon monoxide detectors - most of those have been phased out. They were really sensitive. They grab down to the carbon monoxide and then they always went into a faulty alarm mode. There is a lot of new units out there to purchase at any main hardware store," added Szabo.
Another piece of advice, have your furnace checked.
"Have all of your fuel-burning appliances serviced, and have everything up to code in your residence or rental or whatever you have," said Szabo.
Call your gas company or fire department immediately, if you think there is a problem with carbon monoxide in your home.
Reference the Cleveland 19 News.
