Common sense helps avoid carbon monoxide poisoning

“Silent but deadly” might have the schoolyard toppled over with giggles, but when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning, it´s no laughing matter. Every year the colorless, odorless gas brings with it tragic stories of people being killed such as an elderly Calgary couple that died in December 2007 and sent nine others to hospital. A car left running in the garage was said to be the culprit in this case, yet other malfunctioning or aging furnaces and gas-heaters have played a role in other tragic cases.

Last year the fire department was involved in more than 1,000 carbon monoxide investigations and Jeff Budai, public information officer said that “.. one fatality is too many” because a little preventive maintenance and common sense can keep families safe.

Bringing awareness to the dangers of carbon monoxide can decrease the amount of incidences. Although some cases are sudden tragic ones, others are a gradual process because symptoms often are mistaken for the flu or common cold. Symptoms such as headache, mild nausea, fatigue and aches and pains are common with both flu and carbon monoxide poisoning. As levels of CO increase in your blood, you become disorientated and lapse into unconsciousness. A clue to CO poisoning is if these flu like symptoms are common in more than one family member.

Furnaces are the biggest culprits for CO poisoning. A small crack or unchanged filter can add stress to the furnace and could put your family in immediate danger. The best defense is combined regular maintenance and inspection of appliances and furnaces with properly placed CO detectors.

Watch our video on
ClearView's guarantee