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Carbon Monoxide Information

Burning carbon-based fuels such as charcoal, gasoline and natural gas produces carbon monoxide. Inhaling too much carbon monoxide can cause serious health problems and even death. Carbon monoxide detectors in the home and workplace help protect against carbon monoxide poisonings. Any burning should be done in a safe, well-ventilated area.

  1. Health Risks

    • A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission fact sheet lists the initial signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning as headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness. Thee adverse health effects occur in progression, followed by confusion, vomiting, loss of coordination, fainting and death. Statistics compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that approximately 5,000 people require medical care for unintentional carbon monoxide poisonings each year, and an average of 480 people die from accidental overexposure to the gas each year.

    Sources

    • According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, home and workplace sources of carbon monoxide emissions include kerosene- and gas-fired space heaters, chimneys and furnaces, gas-fired water heaters and stoves, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, generators, gasoline-powered tools such as chainsaws and lawnmowers and tobacco smoke. Automobile and truck engines also generate large amounts of carbon monoxide.

    Exposure Limits

    • Healthy adults can withstand carbon monoxide exposures of up to 70 parts per million in the air for prolonged periods without showing any signs or symptoms of poisoning. Erring far on the side of the safety, the U.S. federal government has set the maximum allowable exposures to carbon monoxide at an average of 9 ppm over 8 hours, and at 35 ppm over a single hour. Children and people with heart conditions can be more sensitive to carbon monoxide, and all people begin experiencing adverse health effects when air concentration of the gas rise above 70 ppm. Fatalities can occur when concentrations of carbon monoxide reach 200 ppm.

    Poisoning Treatment

    • The first thing anyone needs to do when he or she expects carbon monoxide poisoning is to get outside or far away from the source of the gas. Even if symptoms do not seem serious, people exposed to high concentrations of carbon monoxide should seek medical care. Breathing fresh air resolves most cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, but doctors or emergency response personnel may deem it necessary to administer supplemental oxygen to help victims clear carbon monoxide from their lungs and blood streams.

    Protective Measures

    • Both the CPSC and the EPA recommend installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes and workplaces. The agencies also advise people to keep all fuel-burning appliances in good repair and to ensure that any fireplace, space heater, generator or motor has proper ventilation. Activities that put people at particular risk for carbon monoxide poisoning include using a charcoal grill indoors, piling boxes around or allowing debris to collect around the bottom of water heaters and furnaces and leaving vehicles idling in a garage.

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