MONROE - As the clocks are turned back Sunday and temperatures continue to fall, the Green County Health Department reminds residents to take action to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Properly working home heating devices and carbon monoxide detectors save lives.
On average, carbon monoxide poisoning sends about 500 people per year to the emergency room in Wisconsin, according to data from the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. These trips to the ER for carbon monoxide poisoning are preventable when people are prepared.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, follow these safety tips:
• Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors. All homes and duplexes in Wisconsin are required to have detectors on every level, including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas. Detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores for $20-50. Daylight Saving Time is a good time each year to replace the batteries in detectors and push the "test" button to be sure it's working properly. Replace detector every five years.
• Have furnaces or wood-burning stoves inspected annually. Hire a professional to make sure they function correctly and vent properly outside the home.
• Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill, gas or charcoal, inside a home or in an unventilated garage. Any heating system that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Use a battery-powered detector where there are fuel-burning devices but no electric outlets, such as in tents, cabins, RVs and boats with enclosed cabins.
• Generators should be run at a safe distance of at least 20 feet from the home. Never run a generator in the home, garage, or right next to windows or doors.
• Never run a car in an enclosed space. If a vehicle is running, open a door to the outside.
At high levels, carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide include headache, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea and confusion. If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, or a detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.
Visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/air/co.htm for more information about carbon monoxide poisoning. To learn more about the Wisconsin carbon monoxide detector requirements, go to http://dsps.wi.gov/sb/docs/SB-UdcAlarmsFeb11.pdf.
On average, carbon monoxide poisoning sends about 500 people per year to the emergency room in Wisconsin, according to data from the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. These trips to the ER for carbon monoxide poisoning are preventable when people are prepared.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, follow these safety tips:
• Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors. All homes and duplexes in Wisconsin are required to have detectors on every level, including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas. Detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores for $20-50. Daylight Saving Time is a good time each year to replace the batteries in detectors and push the "test" button to be sure it's working properly. Replace detector every five years.
• Have furnaces or wood-burning stoves inspected annually. Hire a professional to make sure they function correctly and vent properly outside the home.
• Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill, gas or charcoal, inside a home or in an unventilated garage. Any heating system that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Use a battery-powered detector where there are fuel-burning devices but no electric outlets, such as in tents, cabins, RVs and boats with enclosed cabins.
• Generators should be run at a safe distance of at least 20 feet from the home. Never run a generator in the home, garage, or right next to windows or doors.
• Never run a car in an enclosed space. If a vehicle is running, open a door to the outside.
At high levels, carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide include headache, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea and confusion. If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, or a detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.
Visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/air/co.htm for more information about carbon monoxide poisoning. To learn more about the Wisconsin carbon monoxide detector requirements, go to http://dsps.wi.gov/sb/docs/SB-UdcAlarmsFeb11.pdf.