Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that is a deadly hazard to everyone. It’s a colorless gas that comes from the exhaust pipes of our cars, it can come from our stove and dryer, and it can have a lasting impact on the health of all occupants of a home, especially infants and pregnant women. It is an invisible killer and it is important to protect yourself and your family from CO poisoning. If you think you have been exposed to CO poisoning, read on.
Test for carbon monoxide with your CO alarm
Owning a CO alarm or detector can be your first line of defense against CO poisoning. It’s the best way to test the CO level in your home. It’s important to test this alarm regularly even when you’re not in imminent danger. There is help available to show you how to test for carbon monoxide.
If your alarm is going off, it means there is a dangerous level of carbon monoxide in your home. Some major symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are disorientation, convulsions, drowsiness, and unconsciousness.
Ventilate the area
An open window will help ventilate the gas from your home or garage. Fresh air diffuses the gas and allows cleaner air to come through. Don’t wait for the gas to leave your home; leave immediately even after opening the windows to protect yourself from further exposure.
A good next step is to alert your neighbors because the amount of CO can very well leave the formerly enclosed space of your home and headed toward your neighbor’s home depending on the airflow. Protect yourself and those around you by staying as alert as possible.
Call for help
Leave the area and call the fire department after your CO detector or alarm has gone off
Carbon monoxide is an invisible killer, and as a colorless gas, this means you won’t know how long you have been exposed, even after being notified by your CO alarm. Carbon monoxide is also very flammable and can cause a fire by way of combustion.
Call your emergency service. Speak with the emergency dispatcher and stay on the phone as you wait for help to arrive. They can monitor you for any symptoms of co poisoning and work to keep you talking so that the fatigue and dizziness that comes with the poisoning have a smaller chance of leading to loss of consciousness as you wait for help to arrive. You may have to go to the emergency room to check for damages if you’re showing signs of poisoning and illness.
Get a professional to fix the problem
The best way to fix a carbon monoxide incident is to hire a professional to handle the problem. They can locate the issue, whether it came from your furnace, your garage, or another appliance. A technician, especially an HVAC technician will know the safety standard for appliances that have the potential to leak carbon monoxide and can reduce the impact as deadly a hazard as a CO leak will have on your home in the future.
To sum up, these are the steps that you should take when you’re concerned about being exposed to carbon monoxide:
- Call 911 or your local emergency number.
- If you have a carbon monoxide detector, activate it.
- Get out of the house or building and into the fresh air.
- If you are with someone who has been poisoned by carbon monoxide, help them get out of the house or building and into the fresh air.
- Wait for emergency responders to arrive.
- Be aware of the symptoms of co poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.
Carbon monoxide is the cause of many deaths, and to reduce the damage carbon monoxide can do to you and your home, invest in a CO detector and keep these steps in mind to increase your survival rate from this invisible killer.