How To Prevent CO Poisoning During The Cold Months

As temperatures continue to drop and residents of Mehlville and the surrounding areas are sealing themselves into their warm homes, there are still safety threats our residents need to be aware of. Carbon monoxide is an invisible and constant threat all homeowners need to be aware of, especially in the colder months. 

What residents need to understand about carbon monoxide is that it is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, tasteless and toxic gas, which makes it both extremely dangerous and difficult to detect without specialized detectors. Unless their homes have the proper detection system, homeowners will not know about a carbon monoxide leak in their home until they start experiencing symptoms. 

Carbon monoxide binds to the hemoglobin in your blood, preventing oxygen from binding and starving your vital organs of oxygen. This can cause a rapid decline in your health, even from short exposure, but it’s next to impossible to discern the source of the symptoms without having access to the necessary alarms. 

At the Mehlville Fire Protection District, we believe that all the residents of our community and the surrounding areas should know how to protect themselves and their families from the dangers of this scentless, tasteless and colorless threat to their health. In this blog, we will outline all of the steps you can take to best protect your household from the invisible threat of CO poisoning. 

Equip your household with carbon monoxide detectors

Purchase carbon monoxide detectors from any hardware or online store and install detectors in all the bedrooms and high-traffic areas on every level of your home. Priority areas to install detectors include:

• Basement
• Living room
• Attached garages
• Near fireplaces
• Near gas stoves
• Near boilers

It’s also important to check your detectors regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly and do not need replacement.

Never run a vehicle in enclosed spaces

Operating a vehicle or any form of equipment that burns fuel to function within an enclosed space can cause carbon monoxide to collect and can quickly evolve into a dangerous situation. If you need to run your vehicle or any other form of equipment, we recommend venting the garage door or waiting until you are fully outside to run it.

Use appliances as intended

We understand how important it is to stay warm during the cold winter months, but we cannot stress enough how important it is to use the appliances in your home for their intended purposes. For instance, if there is a gas stove in your home, do not use it as a source of heat. Even if you extinguish it, you could not fully turn off the gas line and be flooding your house with CO.

Educate your household

Inform every single person living in your household, children and older adults alike, of the dangers of carbon monoxide and what signs to watch for. Educating your household about what to do if one of your CO detectors goes off and what it means can mean the difference between life and death.

What makes carbon monoxide poisoning so dangerous is that it shares a variety of symptoms with common illnesses like the flu, including:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Disorientation
• confusion

Individuals suffering from CO poisoning often feel disoriented and hazy due to the lack of oxygen reaching their brains, which causes them to lose consciousness. These symptoms become especially dangerous when the affected individual is sleeping, because they are not aware of the danger and the situation can quickly become fatal.

For more information on how you can best protect yourself and the rest of your family from a danger that can neither be seen, smelt nor tasted, please stop by or contact the Mehlville Fire Protection District for additional guidance.