During the winter months, make sure your family is safe from Carbon Monoxide (CO), a colorless and odorless gas that kills over 170 people a year. Consumers need to be careful during power outages because using portable generators and other appliances for power and heat can increase risks of CO poisoning and fire. CO is produced by fuel like coal, natural gas, oil, wood, charcoal, kerosene and propane. Equipment and appliances — like room heaters, water heaters, portable generators, lawn mowers, power washers, and cars — can produce CO.[1][2]
The symptoms for CO exposure may feel like the flu, and include:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Shortness of breath [2]
Symptoms of poisoning by high levels of CO may occur without experiencing the above symptoms, and include:
- Mental confusion
- Loss of muscle coordination
- Vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Death [2]
Here are some tips to stay safe:
- Install battery-powered or plug-in CO alarms with a battery back-up on every floor, in the hallway near bedrooms, and in each sleeping area
- Before turning on the furnace or using the chimney, have them checked by a professional to ensure they are working properly
- Make sure all appliances are installed correctly and working properly
- Do not use gas appliances like a stove, oven, or dryer to heat your house
- Do not run a generator in the house or in the garage or in a crawl space
- Keep generators outside and away from open windows or doors and don’t run them on a porch or close to the house
- Never leave a car on in the garage, even if the garage door is open
- Never burn charcoal inside a tent, house, or car [1][2]
Safety with portable generators
- Operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house, and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.
- Never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed, or on the porch. Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.
- Check that portable generators have had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and in the owner’s manual.
- When purchasing a portable generator, CPSC urges consumers to look for and ask retailers for a portable generator equipped with a safety feature to shut off automatically when high CO concentrations are present around the generator. Some models with a CO shut-off feature also have reduced emissions; consumers should look for those models as well. These models may or may not be advertised as certified to the latest safety standards for portable generators – PGMA G300-2018 and UL 2201. [1][2]
Sources:
[1] https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/carbon-monoxide/carbon-monoxide-fact-sheet (viewed 2/14/2022)
Protect Your Family from Deadly Carbon Monoxide This Winter,” CPSC Blogger, October 30, 2014 (viewed 11/10/14)
[2] “Millions in Path of Winter Storms this Week; CPSC Issues Safety Tips to Help Families Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Fires,” https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2022/Millions-in-Path-of-Winter-Storms-this-Week-CPSC-Issues-Safety-Tips-to-Help-Families-Prevent-Carbon-Monoxide-Poisoning-and-Fires