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| Contact: Kirk Hughes, Minnesota Poison Control System, 612-873-5644 or 763-639-7231 |
03/17/09 |
Poison Prevention Week, March 15-21, 2009
Minneapolis, MN - During Poison Prevention Week, March 15-21, the Minnesota Poison Control System and the Minnesota Safety Council remind Minnesotans that carbon monoxide poisoning is a year-round hazard.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas. The deadly fumes can leak from furnaces, water heaters or gas stoves. It can be trapped inside by a blocked chimney or flue. Other sources include running a car engine in an attached garage or operating a gas-powered generator indoors.
Carbon monoxide interferes with the delivery of oxygen throughout the body in the bloodstream. At lower levels, carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms: headaches, dizziness, weakness and fatigue. At higher levels, or with prolonged exposure, it can cause confusion, disorientation, impaired vision and coordination, brain damage, coma and death.
About 500 people die each year in the United States due to accidental CO poisoning. Another 150,000 people end up in the emergency room. Children are especially vulnerable. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 92 Minnesotans died of accidental CO poisoning between 2002 and 2006.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, don’t operate a gas-powered generator in a confined space, burn charcoal in a house or garage, or idle a car inside the garage. Have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune-up your central heating system (furnaces, flues and chimneys) annually and install carbon monoxide alarms in your home.
If the alarm sounds and anyone is feeling symptoms of CO poisoning, leave the house immediately. Call the fire department, local emergency medical services, poison center, or local utility company from a neighbor's home. If the alarm sounds and no one is feeling any symptoms of CO poisoning, ventilate the home by opening windows and doors and turning on fans. Turn off any combustion appliances immediately and call an appliance repair technician to find the cause of the alarm.
Minnesota law currently requires all single family homes and all units in new multifamily dwellings to have a UL-listed CO alarm within 10 feet of each bedroom. (All other multifamily or apartment dwelling units must have an approved CO alarm effective August 1, 2009.) Civic or public safety groups interested in a group CO alarm purchase program for their communities should contact the Minnesota Safety Council at 651-228-7326 or 800-444-9150 ext. 326.
For more information about CO poisoning, contact the Minnesota Poison Control System anytime at 1-800-222-1222 or visit www.mnpoison.org. For more information about CO and other home safety topics, visit www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org.
National Poison Prevention Week is an annual observance. Governor Tim Pawlenty has proclaimed March 15 – 21 as Poison Prevention Week in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Poison Control System is a cooperative effort between the Minnesota Department of Health and Hennepin Regional Poison Center. Located at Hennepin County Medical Center, Hennepin Regional Poison Center is designated by the Minnesota Department of Health to provide poison information and consultative services to the entire State of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non governmental, not for profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries and deaths.
The state’s only fully accredited hyperbaric chamber is located at Hennepin County Medical Center – one of only 82 facilities nationwide to receive accreditation from the Underwater Hyperbaric and Medical Society. Every year more than 100 people (families, adults, children) receive life-saving hyperbaric oxygen treatment at HCMC’s Hyperbaric Chamber after falling victim to carbon monoxide poisoning.
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