Health and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning

• CO claims more than 2,000 lives each year. (Journal of the American Medical Association).
• At high concentration levels, carbon monoxide can be fatal in minutes. CO rapidly accumulates in the blood and is attracted to the hemoglobin in your bloodstream. When breathed in, CO passes through the lungs and bonds with hemoglobin, displacing the oxygen that cells need to function.
• Carbon monoxide does not discriminate; everyone is at risk.
• Young children and the elderly accounted for more than 25% of deaths due to CO poisoning in 1999. (CDC)
• Early symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu and are often misdiagnosed. Headaches, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness are all non-specific symptoms of CO poisoning.
• The combined medical cost of CO accidents, lost productivity and lost wages amounts to $8.8 billion a year. Equipping every home with two CO alarms would cut that cost by 93%. (Carbon Monoxide Health and Safety Association)

Young Children

• According to the Mayo Clinic, 51% of all poisoning cases reported involve children six years old and under.
• In 1999, nearly 2,200 children under the age of six were accidentally poisoned by CO. (American Association of Poison Control Centers)

Pregant Women/Unborn Babies

• A pregnant woman may be affected by CO exposure in the same way as a non-pregnant woman; additionally, the contaminated blood/gas compound can be passed on to her unborn child.

Elderly

• 25% of the CO poisoning deaths from home-related products in 2001 were adults 65 years and older. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
• Older adults more frequently have pre-existing health conditions that affect the heart, lungs and circulatory system. The presence of one or more of these conditions lowers a victim's tolerance and increases the risk of a fatal exposure. (CPSC)