Two Carbon Monoxide Stories In The News Yesterday

At least two carbon monoxide stories appeared in the news yesterday, one in Mosinee, WI and the other in Atlanta, GA. This is two too many. It is becoming disheartening seeing all of the carbon monoxide poisoning that occurs and that could be prevented with simple actions. The stories may have different details, but they are always similar in some way. There is always some culprit that caused CO to leak, and the levels could have been detected or prevented. We will take a closer look at the two carbon monoxide poisoning incidents that sent people to their local hospitals this week.

Carbon Monoxide Stories: Mosinee, WI

This Mosinee, WI man went to the hospital in Milwaukee after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning a couple of weeks ago, according to WAOW. It is not necessarily explained in the article why he is going to the hospital for something that happened weeks ago; however, we do know that carbon monoxide poisoning can cause delayed neurological and behavioral symptoms in the two to 40 days following the poisoning. This is called delayed neurological sequelae, and it’s possible he received treatment for that.

The situation the Mosinee, WI man was that he lost power due to a wind storm that slammed the city. In response to losing power, he ran a generator in his garage to try to restore power. He lost consciousness after he put the power generator in his garage. In the wake of storms, people are more likely to use generators for power because their power might go out during the storm. It is important to remember that even a small generator can be deadly due to carbon monoxide. The rule of thumb is always to operate a generator outside, downwind, and away from windows and doors. Never operate a generator in an enclosed space like in a garage or crawl space. The consequences could be deadly.

The fire chief also reminded people to make sure they clean their furnaces and chimney to avoid CO poisoning. Having your furnace checked by a professional once a year is a good idea. Installing carbon monoxide detectors in your home or business is also important, so the alarm can alert you to dangerous levels of the gas. These are all ways to try to prevent damages from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide Stories: Atlanta, GA

The other of the carbon monoxide stories took place in Atlanta, GA, according to Golden Isles News. The Atlanta story affected 10 people, four children and six adults, who were hospitalized. There were 10 people in the home when the group became sick from carbon monoxide gas. They were transported to an Atlanta hospital Monday evening. The story stated that they started feeling sick Sunday night, but assumed it was food poisoning. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can resemble the flu or food poisoning. They include headaches, nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. The residents may have eaten together, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that the culprit was food poisoning. Having a carbon monoxide alarm would also have helped in this case to indicate that the sickness was from carbon monoxide, not food poisoning.