January Listed as Worst Month for Carbon Monoxide Deaths
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Updated: 12:25 PM Jan 2, 2008
January Listed as Worst Month for Carbon Monoxide Deaths
You can't see it, or smell it. But at high levels it can kill a person in mere minutes. It's carbon monoxide. And a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks January as the worst month for carbon monoxide deaths.
Posted: 9:33 PM Jan 1, 2008
Reporter: Daniel Kemp
Email Address: daniel.kemp@wbko.com
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You can't see it, or smell it.

But at high levels it can kill a person in mere minutes.

It's carbon monoxide. And a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks January as the worst month for carbon monoxide deaths.

We spoke to a local fire official on how you can avoid this invisible killer this winter.

Keith Mefford, assistant fire chief for the Bowling Green Fire Department, knows the dangers of carbon monoxide and wants homeowners to understand the same.

"Typically, the equipment in your home--your heater, your gas water heater, home furnace--those types of things have the potential, if not working properly, to put carbon monoxide into the home," Mefford explained.

"It's deadly because it combines with the bloodstream faster than oxygen, so it actually depletes the oxygen supply to your bloodstream," he added.

A recent study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Kentucky as 14th in the U.S. for most deaths resulting from carbon monoxide.

It says this season is the worst for carbon monoxide poisoning, and Assistant Chief Mefford agrees.

"In the winter time, that's when you're using your gas appliances more. More of your home is closed up tighter in the winter and therefore it's not vented as well. You don't want to leave your vehicle running in an attached garage, and you don't want to leave the mower running even if the garage is open--it's still not vented properly," Mefford assured.

He not only recommends having your gas appliances checked on a yearly basis by a qualified technician, but says having a carbon monoxide detector is key to staying safe.

"A carbon monoxide detector is the key to getting that early warning. Typically in the U.S., 93-percent of homes have smoke detectors, but only 15-percent have carbon monoxide detectors," Mefford added.

And that's an issue fire officials are pushing.

Assistant Chief Mefford also says at least one carbon monoxide detector should be placed on every level of your house, in order to be properly covered.

For do's and don'ts to prevent carbon monoxide exposure, or to read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's study, click here.

ALSO ON THE WEB:

"Carbon Monoxide Poisoning" from eMedicineHealth

"Protect Your Family and Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning" from www.epa.gov

To view a copy of the BGFD Carbon Monoxide Notice of Findings Report, click here.
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