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District Health Department #4 Reminds Everyone to look out for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

District Health Department #4 is reminding everyone to look out for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services the top causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in the state are improper use of or faulty furnaces, water heaters, generators, and vehicles.

Public Health Educator, Cathy Goike said that there’s always a higher risk for carbon monoxide poisoning during cold weather.

“The cold weather upon us…there’s always a higher risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Just because our houses are always closed up, so there’s not as much ventilation, plus we’re using more heaters, we might have a fireplace going, we might get cold so we use space heaters, we usually will want to warm up our car in the garage and so it may not be as ventilated. The wintertime is always a bigger risk for carbon monoxide poisoning,” Goike said.

Goike also said that everyone should make sure they know the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“If you feel nauseous, dizzy, confused, sick to the stomach, sleepy have headache all of those can be signs of carbon monoxide poison. So if they are feeling any of those symptoms and they suspect carbon monoxide they need to leave there home or wherever they are and immediately get some fresh air, and then seek medical care,” Goike said.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services 823 people were unintentionally poisoned by carbon monoxide in 2013. 34 of those individuals died.