An invisible killer: How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home this winter

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The colder months bring higher rates of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is one of the most common causes of deadly poisoning in the nation.

Experts have advice to prevent high levels of CO in your home this winter. The first is to ensure your home’s heating system is functioning properly.

Service Technician’s with A1 United Heating, Air, & Electrical are busy this time of year with calls for furnace maintenance.

“That heat exchanger, when it starts to heat up, starts to crack and get brittle over time. That’s where you’ll have possible exhaust gases that can flow through your household,” said Ricky Jones, a Service Technician with A1 United.

During every furnace inspection, Jones checks the system for an inconspicuous hazard – carbon monoxide. “We take one of our CO monitors that reads at lower levels than you would in a normal CO monitor,” said Jones.

Ventilation problems can cause CO to build up in your home. He said you can help prevent that with seasonal maintenance.

“Have inspections done every year. Especially if your system has never had seasonal maintenance or any work done on it since owning the house, and if the system is 10 years old,” said Jones.

He also explained that a common cause of heat exchanger cracks is a dirty furnace filter. He recommends changing the filter monthly.

“If I go run down the street with my hand covered over my mouth, it’s going to take a really long time for me to catch my breath and it’s going to hurt. That’s exactly what this system would feel like with a clogged filter,” said Jones.

Since CO is odorless and colorless, it’s vital to have carbon monoxide detectors in your home. They are available for purchase at most hardware stores and online, with many affordable options on the market.

Jones said you should have one on every level, mounted at a high height. He will test homeowners' monitors during inspections, but recommends you do that at least every six months as well. He also suggested using a compressed air duster to remove dust from your monitor to reduce the risk of a false alarm.

If your monitor shows a parts per million reading, Jones said anything above 3 ppm is a concern. Jones estimated around 35% of homes he services have high levels of carbon monoxide. An A1 technician had a recent client with a CO reading of 22 ppm.

“Average monitors read at 70 to 100 ppm. You start feeling effects anywhere between 5-10 ppm. So, getting that low-level detector is really going to help out a lot,” said Jones.

In cases where the ppm reading is higher than 3, Jones said to open doors and windows, turn off your furnace, get out of the house, and call emergency services. However, if you are experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, leave the house immediately.

“It affects the brain, the central nervous system first. So, more common things are headache, dizziness, nausea, you can have vomiting. Then, people who are more severely affected might have light-headedness and pass out,” said Ron Kirschner, a Physician Toxicologist at the Nebraska Poison Center.

The Nebraska Poison Center got around 200 calls about carbon monoxide last year, according to Kirschner. Every year, the CDC said more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires and more than 100,000 people end up in the emergency room.

“It can kill you pretty fast if you are exposed to high levels or lower levels for a long period of time,” said Kirschner.

If you’re concerned that you’re experiencing CO poisoning symptoms, you can call the Nebraska Poison Center for help at 1-800-222-1222. They’re staffed 24/7, every day of the year.

Kirschner said CO poisoning can be detected through a blood test and is treatable if caught early.

“The first treatment is to give them 100% oxygen. That’s going to speed up oxygen delivery to your vital organs, to your heart and brain. If they’re really sick you can put them in something called a hyperbaric chamber, where they’re not only getting pure oxygen, but they’re getting oxygen in a chamber where the pressure is higher,” said Kirschner.

Kirschner said unlike many medical establishments, the Nebraska Medical Center has hyperbaric chambers available for treatment.

Other common causes of CO poisoning are when people use gas burning appliances to keep warm inside their homes during colder months.

The CDC offers the following advice: keep gas appliances, like generators and grills, outside. They should be more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. If your garage is attached to your house, never run your car inside the garage, even with the door open. Also, get your chimney checked every year to make sure it’s not blocked.

If you need a CO detector, but cost is a barrier, the Omaha Fire Department can install combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home for free.