We responded recently to a call for a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm going off in a home. Happily, everyone is fine, but we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you to install and regularly test your CO alarms.
Low level CO poisoning can often be confused with flu symptoms, food poisoning, and other illnesses. Some symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness or headaches. When extremely high CO levels are present, confusion, incapacitation and loss of consciousness can occur within minutes. A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
Don't ignore those alarms when they sound, and be sure to have one on every level of your home. Interconnected CO alarms offer the best protection; when one sounds, they all do. A licensed electrician can install hard-wired interconnected CO alarms, or homeowners can install wireless alarms, plug-in alarms, or battery operated alarms.
