Tips to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning

Here are tips from Safe Kids Worldwide to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:

To decrease the risk of CO poisoning the following strategies are recommended:

Install a CO alarm inside your home at a central location outside every sleeping area.

• Place CO alarms at least 15 feet away from every fuel-burning appliance to reduce the number of nuisance alarms.
• Test alarms every month and replace them according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Make sure alarms can be heard, especially where individuals are sleeping, and be sure everyone in the family knows what to do if the alarm sounds.
• Have all gas, oil or coal burning appliances inspected by a technician every year to ensure they are working correctly and are properly ventilated.
• Never use a stove for heating.
• Never use a grill, generator or camping stove inside your home, garage or near a window.
• Never leave a car, SUV or motorcycle engine running inside a garage, even if the garage door is open.
• CO can accumulate anywhere in or around your boat; install a CO alarm on your motorboat.
• If your CO alarm goes off, follow these simple steps:
• Get everyone into fresh air immediately and call for help.
• If you're experiencing symptoms, call 911 for medical attention.
• If no one is experiencing symptoms, call a qualified professional to investigate possible CO buildup.

Costs

• A nationwide surveillance system found that the total hospital charges averaged more than $15,000 for individuals whose principal diagnosis was CO poisoning in 2005.  This number does not include professional fees or other CO cases with a different principal diagnosis and therefore drastically underestimates the overall cost burden of CO-related hospitalizations.
• In the U.S., it is estimated that residential CO exposure-related morbidity costs approximately $180 million annually.

Laws and Regulations

• Twenty-five states have passed legislation requiring the use of CO detectors in the home.
• Texas and Tennessee have enacted laws that require the installation of CO detectors in certain childcare facilities.
• There is a correlation between cities with CO alarm ordinances and lower death rates from CO.