Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center warns against carbon monoxide poisoning
PHOENIX (Feb. 11, 2010) – Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can happen at any time during the year, but this winter, poison control experts at Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center are seeing an increase in patients due to this potentially deadly, but avoidable situation.
It is estimated that about 20,000 Americans are treated in emergency rooms each year because of CO exposure. This odorless, colorless gas is known as the “silent killer,” as those who are affected cannot see it, taste it or smell it. Exposure to high levels of CO can cause death.
Common symptoms of CO poisoning include: headache, dizziness, chest pain and nausea/vomiting. In severe cases of CO poisoning, people may become disoriented or unconsciousness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide this list of safety precautions to protect you and your family:
- Install battery-operated CO detectors in your home, especially near heating sources. Change the batteries in the detector at least once a year, and check often.
- Have a qualified technician check your heating systems, water heaters, and other gas-, oil- or coal-burning appliances every year.
- Have your chimney and flue inspected and cleaned yearly.
- Move to a fresh-air location and call 911 immediately if you experience the symptoms of CO poisoning.
- Check frequently on children and the elderly.
- Don't use gas-powered appliances such as ranges, ovens, or clothes dryers to heat your home.
- Don't use camp stoves, charcoal grills, or hibachis inside your home, in the basement, or in the garage.
- Don't operate a generator inside your home or garage. Only operate a generator outdoors and away from doors, windows, and vents that could allow CO to seep indoors.
- Don't run a vehicle inside your garage, even if the garage door is open.
CO poisoning is entirely preventable. You can protect yourself and your family by preparing your home heating sources for winter, acting wisely in case of a power outage, and learning the symptoms of CO poisoning.
About Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a not-organization. The hospital was named to the 2009-’10 U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list for Gynecology, Heart & Heart Surgery and Kidney Disorders. Banner Good Samaritan has been recognized as a Magnet™ facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices, and has been named one of the Best Places to Work in the Valley by The Phoenix Business Journal and BestCompaniesAZ in 2007 and 2008 and one of the “Top 100 Hospitals to Work For” by Nursing Professionals magazine.
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