Welcome to nocarbonmonoxide!The purpose of this blog is to inform you about the risks of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and to help you avoid these risks.
CO is the leading cause of accidental poisoning worldwide. In the US, at least 5,000 people are killed by CO each year, and another 50,000 suffer permanent physical and psychological damage.Why is Carbon Monoxide so dangerous?The way CO works in the body is complicated. When CO is in the air that we breathe, it does major damage inside our red blood cells. Red blood cells contain the oxygen-transporting molecule hemoglobin, and we rely on the oxygen in hemoglobin to fuel all the body’s machinery. CO displaces the oxygen in the hemoglobin molecule, to produce carboxyhemoglobin, which impairs our ability to provide energy to the body. (If you or someone you know is ever exposed to CO, your health care providers will measure your blood’s level of carboxyhemoglobin, to try and determine how bad a ‘hit’ you had.)
But carboxyhemoglobin isn’t the only culprit. CO also alters a number of proteins, including a brain protein called myelin basic protein. When the body ‘sees’ the altered protein, it mounts an immune response. And even after the body’s proteins have returned to normal, CO has already activated an autoimmune cascade, so that the immune system continues to attack normal proteins, such as the myelin basic protein that is so important for brain function. That’s why
a single exposure to CO can cause lifelong injury.The only treatment for CO poisoning is oxygen. In cases of severe CO exposure, a person should receive pressurized oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber. But there are many, many places in the world where access to a hyperbaric chamber is extremely limited. And, if hyperbaric oxygen therapy isn’t started within 24 hours of CO exposure, it has little, if any, benefit; the damage is already done. The safest course is to prevent CO exposure altogether.
What are the most common sources of Carbon Monoxide?You may hear the winter months referred to as “CO season”, because the most common cause of accidental CO poisoning is the US is faulty heating systems.
Furnaces that are improperly vented or have cracks in their venting systems;
Chimneys that are blocked by soot or other objects, such as birds’ nests; and
Generators that are used indoors or outside near a window
Gas water heaters with cracks or faulty venting
…. are common culprits.
But CO can come from places we don’t normally think about, and no season of the year is truly safe.
Pool heaters located near or under a window;
Cars left running in garages due to forgetfulness or the desire to warm up the car on a cold morning;
Improperly vented
stoves in restaurants;
Camping trailers with faulty venting systems;
SUVs with the rear window left open, or
Pickup trucks where people are allowed to ride in the back;
Boats with outdated venting systems; and
Camping stoves used improperly
…have all killed or permanently injured people in the US during the past year.Below, you will find a small sampling of CO poisoning cases during the past few years.
You will also find a sampling of Google Alert poisonings in the US for the month of March, 2009, alone. The most alarming thing about this listing is that March is generally considered one of the safer months of the year in the US, because most furnaces that have functioned correctly from September through the winter are less likely to malfunction during the spring.
The take-home lesson is that no time of the year is truly safe.
Furnace maintenance and common sense are your two best weapons against CO poisoning.
But the ONLY truly safe environment is an environment with a working CO detector.Most new home construction and public spaces require smoke detectors, but they do not require CO detectors. This is disturbing, because more than half of people who die in house fires die from the fumes (CO) and not the flames.
Recently, leading experts in the field of CO poisoning have recommended that you take a portable CO monitor with you, wherever you go. You will find the portable monitor that we recommend at
KWJ Engineering:
http://www.kwjengineering.com/products/carbon-monoxide/portable/pocket-co-300
But whatever monitor you choose, choose a monitor! The senseless loss of life to CO is a preventable tragedy, and it’s important that you tell your loved ones that they need protecting.
No gift could be better than the gift of protection from permanent injury or death.
This blog is linked to a new company called
NoCO Gear, Inc., and we encourage you to visit our site. (
nocogear.com)
NoCO Gear offers a line of backpacks, diaper bags, computer totes, and other items with a built-in CO300 carbon monoxide detector. The bags are custom-designed, and we offer them on a
zero profit to us basis. If you visit our site and choose to buy a bag,
NoCO Gear will not profit one penny. We are dedicated to the prevention of CO poisoning, rather than to making money. All our products, including the CO monitor, are US-made and environmentally friendly, and we would love to have you visit our site!
(Regarding the listings below, please note: I have only been following CO poisonings in the US, and only since February of this year, 2009. The older incidences are still in the headlines due to pending or recent lawsuit settlements, and they are only a few examples of poisonings that can occur in various places. Further below, you will find reports of CO cases that have occurred in the past two months alone.)
Hotel PoisoningsNovember, 2000
CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK SICKENS SIX; 2 LISTED `CRITICAL'http://www.bookrags.com/highbeam/carbon-monoxide-leak-sickens-six-2-20001102-hb/Cause: faulty pool heater
June, 2006
Woman Sues Ocean City, Maryland Hotel Over Carbon Monoxide Deaths of Her Husband and Daughterhttp://www.uslaw.com/bulletin/woman-sues-ocean-city-maryland-hotel-over-carbon-monoxide-deaths-of-her-husband-and-daughter.php?p=1188Cause: faulty water heater pipe
December, 2006
Key West Doubletree Closed Following Carbon Monoxide Deathshttp://www.truveo.com/Carbon-Monoxide-Blamed-In-Key-West-Hotel-Death/id-1138621480Cause: faulty furnace
January, 2008
Hotel guest dies from carbon monoxide fumes http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/19/nation/na-hotel19Cause: faulty water heater venting
late February and March, 2009 Poisonings in the US(These are the postings that created enough attention to be listed on Google, but they are a fraction of the poisonings that occurred.)
• Family of Four Saved from Carbon Monoxide Poisoninghttp://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-family-of-four-saved-from-carbon-monoxide,0,2297714.story• Authorities: Six Sheraden residents sickened by carbon monoxidehttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_618420.html• Carbon monoxide scare prompts store (SuperFresh) evacuationhttp://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6735110• Nine people hurt in Federal Way house firehttp://www.thenewstribune.com/news/breaking/story/693226.html• 5 hospitalized from carbon monoxide leakhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-carbonmonoxidelea,0,3196595.story
• Community says goodbye to four chilldren killed in mobile home firehttp://www.springfieldnewssun.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/03/29/sns032909funeralinside.html• Coast Guard aids man felled by fumes on boathttp://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/mar/28/nxfcevac29/• Family says generator could have killed themhttp://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Family-says-generator-could-have-killed-them/g9EDOmrmz0K71g7ThB7Nng.cspx• Family escapes poisoninghttp://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_077233519.html• 'Extremely High' CO Prompts O'Hara Twp. Evacuationshttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29733220/• Carbon monoxide sickens LU hockey players, coacheshttp://www.newsadvance.com/lna/sports/college/liberty/article/carbon_monoxide_sickens_lu_hockey_players_coaches/14382• Carbon monoxide poisoning kills Denison manhttp://www.kxii.com/news/headlines/41351157.html• Carbon monoxide leak blamed in death, illnesshttp://www.indystar.com/article/20090316/LOCAL/903160330/1195/LOCAL18• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Sends Wisconsin Worshipers To Hospitalhttp://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7014433945• Carbon Monoxide Scare Sends Nearly 100 to the Hospitalhttp://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-coscare,0,7411840.story• Carbon monoxide tied to camper deathhttp://www.indystar.com/article/20090315/LOCAL/90315010• Firefighters Save Family From Monoxide Poisoninghttp://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-03-12/article/32470?headline=Firefighters-Save-Family-From-Monoxide-Poisoning• North Branch Twp. family averts carbon monoxide poisoninghttp://www.countypress.com/stories/031109/loc_22090311068.shtml• Dog saves 9 people from carbon-monoxide poisoninghttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11874973• Oak Brook school is shut down after carbon monoxide leakhttp://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/60AB42785FB433BC86257571004E972C?OpenDocument• Chatham family treated for carbon monoxide poisoninghttp://www3.whdh.com:80/news/articles/local/BO106451/• Connecticut deaths prompt warning from Putnam Emergency Services Commissionerhttp://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/03/PC_CO_warn-03Mar09.html• Carbon monoxide sickens 5 in Wexford County homehttp://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/mar/02/news/chi-ap-mi-carbonmonoxide-il
• Carbon Monoxide Likely Sickened 7 Kidshttp://www.wwmt.com/articles/detroit_1359702___article.html/children_monoxide.html• 2 Sickened By Carbon Monoxide In Lawrence Co.http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/18792631/detail.html• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning In Lincoln Parkhttp://www.wwj.com/pages/3907599.php?• Carbon monoxide poisoning cited as cause of men's deathshttp://nwanews.com/nwat/News/74280/• Pregnant trail rider dies of carbon monoxide poisoning, others sickenedhttp://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090223_mh_pregnant_trail_rider_killed.45721a85.html• Campers likely died from carbon monoxide poisoninghttp://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/kmsb20090220jc-campers-likely-carbon-monoxide-pois.34f9bfa9.html• Carbon Monoxide Killed Couplehttp://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=9878797&nav=EQlpI will continue to update this blog on a weekly basis. (Some of the links expire after 30 days, if the news source does not archive all of its posts.
If you have trouble locating a link, try typing the relevant terms, such as 'carbon monoxide sickens kids' into your search engine.)
Please visit
NoCO Gear, Inc. at
nocogear.com, for unique ideas on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from carbon monoxide!
Stay safe!
Lynne
