Carbon monoxide is a growing danger

Detroit Lakes Fire Chief Jeff Swanson is urging people to take carbon monoxide poisoning seriously.

There have been 18 carbon monoxide-related calls in Detroit Lakes the past year, and several serious cases in the past 18 months — including one woman who had to be airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital, Swanson said.

“Thirty years ago we didn’t have these problems,” Swanson said. “The new houses are actually worse,” because they are airtight and have more efficient heating systems, he added.

But older homes can still be dangerous, especially if they have older furnaces, gas stoves or gas fireplaces.

And the fire department still gets calls about CO caused by automobiles running in closed garages that are attached to homes.

Swanson said carbon monoxide is called the “silent killer” because it is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas.

It is impossible to see, taste or smell the fumes, and CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu.

These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue.

The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.

Money is tight for many these days, but it is still worth the investment to have a heating professional check your furnace and other appliances, Swanson said.

“It’s going to cost people 80 bucks and everybody thinks I’m in cahoots with the heating companies,” Swanson joked, “but I’m in cahoots with the life-saving.”

An annual fall furnace check gives you double bang for your buck since it can help prevent a house fire and help spot dangerously high CO levels before it’s too late, he said.

Carbon monoxide can come from unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and even tobacco smoke.

Incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges and unvented gas or kerosene heaters may cause high concentrations of CO in indoor air.

Worn or poorly adjusted and maintained boilers and furnaces can be significant sources, or if the flue is improperly sized, blocked, disconnected, or is leaking.

Auto, truck, or bus exhaust from attached garages, nearby roads, or parking areas can also be a source.

Swanson said the fire department does not recommend any specific brand of CO detector, but he tells people to buy the kind that provides a digital readout of the CO level.

“If it goes off and it says ‘zero,’ it’s probably a false alarm. But with the digital reading it can tell you when to get out.”

When there is a problem, the fire department will use fans to clean CO out of a building, but residents need to fix the faulty heating unit before moving back in, he said.

If you suspect CO poisoning, the most important thing is to get family and pets outside the building.

Nathan Bowe is a reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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