Wintry conditions are returning to the northern
part of the world. Winter brings cold weather and,
with it, a danger as old as man's knowledge of
fire. The danger is death or injury by carbon
monoxide poisoning. Today, we tell about this
ancient and continuing danger


Several years ago, a family of five was enjoying a
holiday in the American state of California, near the Pacific Ocean. The family
included five children and their parents. The oldest child was twelve years old.
The youngest was three


The family was spending the weekend in a camper. A camper is a small shelter
carried in the back of a truck. People can sleep in it for a few days.
The weather turned cold the second night the family stayed along the Pacific
coast. The camper did not have any heating equipment to warm the space while
family members slept

Someone decided to heat the area by placing a charcoal grill inside the camper.
The device burned a wood product, charcoal. The fire immediately warmed the
family members. They all went to sleep.
The next day, other people found the family. The parents and their five children
had died in their sleep. They died because they did not know that burning wood
products creates a deadly gas – carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is known as a silent killer. The California family went
to sleep in their warm camper and never woke up

Carbon monoxide poisoning causes death and injuries around the world. The
poison gas has been a problem since people first began burning fuels to cook
food or to create heat.
This gas is a problem in all parts of the world that experience cold weather. Last
year, America's Centers for Disease Control studied deaths linked to carbon
monoxide poisoning. It found that the average number of carbon monoxide
deaths in the United States is greatest in the month of January.
The study also found that carbon monoxide kills about five hundred people in the
United States each year. And, the report said, about fifteen thousand people are
taken to hospital emergency rooms for treatment of health problems linked to
the gas.

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because people do not know it is in the
air. The gas has no color. It has no taste. It has no smell. It does not cause
burning eyes. And it does not cause people to cough.
Yet carbon monoxide gas is very deadly. It steals the body's ability to use
oxygen.
Carbon monoxide decreases the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to body
tissues. It does this by linking with the blood. When the gas links with the blood,
the blood is no longer able to carry oxygen to the tissues that need it. Damage
to the body can begin very quickly from large amounts of carbon monoxide.
How quickly this can happen depends on the length of time a person is breathing
the gas and the amount of the gas he or she breathes in

Carbon monoxide poisoning has warning signs. But people have to be awake to
recognize them. Small amounts of the gas will cause a person's head to hurt. He
or she may begin to feel tired. The victim's stomach may feel sick. The room
may appear to be turning around. The person may have trouble thinking clearly.
People develop severe head pain as the amount of gas continues to enter their
blood. They will begin to feel very tired and sleepy. They may have terrible
stomach pains

Carbon monoxide is measured in parts per million in a normal atmosphere.
Breathing in two hundred parts per million of carbon monoxide will cause the
first signs of poisoning. It will result in head pain, stomach problems and a
feeling of tiredness after two to three hours.
A level of eight hundred parts per million will cause a person to lose
consciousness. Victims will not know what is taking place around them. This will
happen within two hours of breathing in this amount of carbon monoxide. Twelve
thousand parts per million of the gas will cause death in one to three minutes

Medical experts say carbon monoxide affects people differently. For example, a
small child will experience health problems or die much quicker than an adult
will. The general health of the person or his or her age can also be important.
An older adult with health problems may suffer the effects of carbon monoxide
more quickly than a younger person with no health problems. People with heart
disease may suffer chest pains. They may begin to have trouble breathing


Carbon monoxide does not always cause death. But it can cause many medical
problems. Breathing low amounts of the gas for long periods of time can lead to
permanent damage in the heart, lungs or brain.
Medical experts say small amounts of carbon monoxide over a long period of
time can greatly harm an unborn baby

What causes carbon monoxide gas? Any device that burns fuels such as coal, oil
or wood can create the gas.
Water heaters that burn natural gas create carbon monoxide. Fireplaces and
stoves that burn wood create the gas. Natural gas stoves and gas dryers or charcoal grills also create carbon monoxide. Automobiles create it. Any device
that burns fossil fuels like coal, oil, wood, gasoline, kerosene or propane will
produce carbon monoxide.
Experts agree that the leading cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is damaged
equipment that burns these fuels. They say many people die or are injured by
the gas because they do not use these devices correctly.
Experts say any device used to heat a home should be inspected to make sure it
is working correctly. And, no cooking equipment like a charcoal grill should ever
be used to heat an inside area

Carbon monoxide gas is created by fuel burning devices because not all of the
fuel is burned. Most devices used for home heating have a way to expel the gas
from the home. For example, a fireplace has a chimney. Natural gas stoves or
gas water heaters are usually connected to a device that safely expels the gas
from the home. An automobile has a system for expelling unburned gasoline
under and behind the vehicle.
Anyone who uses a device that burns fossil fuel must inspect the equipment
carefully to reduce chances of carbon monoxide escaping. Companies that
produce the devices usually provide directions about using the device correctly.
These directions should be read and understood before using any equipment that
burns fuel inside a home

You can do a number of things to protect yourself from the effects of carbon
monoxide. First, immediately leave the area if you recognize the signs of carbon
monoxide poisoning in yourself or others.
Seek emergency medical services after you leave the area where you suspect
the gas might be. Usually the treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning involves
breathing in large amounts of oxygen. However, a doctor will know the best
method to treat the effects of such poisoning.
Carbon monoxide does not quickly leave the body, even after treatment has
begun. It can take several hours before the gas disappears

If you suspect carbon monoxide is a problem in your home, you might try calling
your local fire department. Many firefighters have the necessary equipment to
find or identify the gas

In many countries, it is possible to buy and use a
special device that will warn when harmful levels
of carbon monoxide are in the area. These devices
can be linked to a home's electric system. Others
work with electric batteries. Experts say these
special devices should be placed near sleeping
areas in the home.
The most important weapon against carbon
monoxide poisoning is the safe use of materials to
heat any enclosed area. Safety directions that
come with heating equipment must be followed.
Older fossil fuel burning heating equipment should
be inspected every year to make sure it continues
to be safe. Knowledge about the dangers of
carbon monoxide could be the most important information you ever learn