Caution in the Cold: Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Those who believe they may have or have been exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning should contact their medical provider or call 911 right away.

With the chilly weather and power outages caused by the recent ice storm, many people are still without power and using portable generators and heaters indoors. While these may be helpful to keep warm, they should be used with caution as carbon monoxide, an invisible gas, can build up and go unnoticed until symptoms appear.

“Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is a byproduct of burning fuels such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, propane and natural gas,” said Tom Kane, F.N.P.-C., M.S.N., vice president of nursing and hyperbaric medicine specialist at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena. “With the high usage of generators and fuel-based space heaters during the current power outage crisis, we have concern for carbon monoxide poisoning occurring in our area residents. The poisoning typically occurs when the generators or space heaters are used inappropriately indoors or in unventilated areas.”

Carbon monoxide attaches to blood cells much tighter than oxygen molecules. As such, oxygen cannot be carried throughout the body and begins to cause symptoms leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include cherry red lips, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, confusion, sleepiness, unconsciousness, loss of muscle control, and in the worst cases, potentially death. 

Treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning requires urgency by placing a person on a large amount of pure oxygen. In severe cases, the treatment may require the use of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena has two hyperbaric oxygen chambers in its Wound Care Center which are available for the treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning when appropriate. An on-call team is available to care for those requiring hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

Those who believe they may have or have been exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning should contact their medical provider or call 911 right away.