CARBON MONOXIDE: THE INVISIBLE KILLER
Carbon monoxide safety outreach materials
Help inform residents in your community
about the dangers of carbon monoxide and portable generators with these
messages and free materials.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is called the “Invisible Killer”
because it's a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. More than 150 people
in the Unites States die every year from accidental nonfire-related CO
poisoning associated with consumer products, including generators. Other
products include faulty, improperly-used or incorrectly-vented
fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and
fireplaces. Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission
Know the symptoms of CO poisoning
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission
Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to
the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. The
initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu
(but without the fever). They include:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:
- Mental confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of muscular coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Ultimately death