Know how to prevent... Local Resources Carbon Monoxide carbon monoxide poisoning! The Regional Center for Poison Control How do I prevent my family and www.maripoisoncenter.com myself from being poisoned? 800-222-1222 Poisoning • Read and follow instructions when EACH YEAR Rhode Island Department of Health installing appliances HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE www.health.ri.gov/healthrisks/poisoning/carbonmonoxide or have a trained IN THE UNITED STATES 401-222-5960 professional do the DIE FROM UNINTENTIONAL installation. EXPOSURE TO If you suspect a carbon monoxide problem, call your local • Read and follow CARBON MONOXIDE fire department. If your CO detector goes off, call 911. instructions for any POISONING. fuel-burning devices before using, as the manufacturer may have listed cautions. National Resources • Always maintain appliances according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, which should Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include inspections and service annually by a trained www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm service technician. 800-232-4636 • Look around your home for problems that could indicate maintenance might be needed (as shown in Consumer Products Safety Commission the diagram). www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html • Install CO detectors in several areas of your home 800-638-2772 and know what the alarm sounds mean. It is recommended to have one in the stairwell of the Department of Housing and Urban Development basement stairs and in the hallway outside the WHAT IS www.hud.gov/offices/lead/healthyhomes/carbonmonoxide.cfm bedrooms, nearest to the living area. Test your CO Providence Field Office, 401-277-8300 CARBON MONOXIDE alarm routinely and replace dead batteries. POISONING? It is important to note that while CO alarms may provide Environmental Protection Agency peace of mind, they are not a substitute for proper www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/co installation, use, and maintenance of appliances that are Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a gas produced by 888-372-7341 potential sources of CO. burning any type of fuel – gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal. It can build up suddenly or over a long period of time. It’s not something you can see, not

INFANTS, PREGNANT WOMEN, PEOPLE something you can smell, and not something WITH LUNG OR HEART DISEASE, AND PEOPLE WITH you can taste. But if you accidentally breathe ANEMIA ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO too much of it, the results could be deadly THE EFFECTS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. in a very short amount of time. Healthy Homes and Environment Team R E P R I N T E D W I T H P E R M I S S I O N F R O M T H E U . S . C O N S U M E R P R O D U C T S A F E T Y C O M M I S S I O N ’ S C A R B O N M O N O X I D E PA M P H L E T. SOURCES OF AND CLUES TO A POSSIBLE LOOSE OR DISCONNECTED LOOSE MASONRY ON CHIMNEY VENT/CHIMNEY CONNECTIONS CARBON MONOXIDE PROBLEM

MOISTURE ROOM INSIDE OF HEATER WINDOWS

MALFUNCTIONING RANGE SOOTING Know what to do... DEBRIS OR SOOT FALLING if you have symptoms FROM CHIMNEY, FIREPLACE, OR APPLIANCE of carbon monoxide poisoning! FIREPLACE • Leave the area immediately and get fresh air. FOIL ON BOTTOM CO FROM USING A CHARCOAL OF GAS OVEN RUSTING OR WATER GRILL, OR EXHAUST FROM • If symptoms are severe, call 911 immediately from STREAKING ON MALFUNCTIONING AN AUTO OR GENERATOR IN VENT/CHIMNEY WATER HEATER another location (not inside your home). A GARAGE. GENERATOR EXHAUST IN HOME, BASEMENT, OR LOOSE OR MISSING MALFUNCTIONING • Call your local fire department to have the CO level CRAWLSPACE FURNACE PANEL FURNACE checked in your home. • Contact the Poison Center at 800-222-1222 for more information. Know the facts... Know the signs... • Make an appointment with your doctor if you have about carbon monoxide poisoning! of carbon monoxide poisoning! any signs of illness or if symptoms lessen or disappear when you are away from your home. CO comes from any source that burns fuel (like furnaces, Health effects could occur over a short or long period of fireplaces, cars, powerboats, wood stoves, kerosene space time. Symptoms can mimic other illnesses, such as the flu. heaters, charcoal grills, and gas appliances, such as water If you have symptoms and there’s a chance they could be heaters, ovens, and dryers). If maintained and used from carbon monoxide exposure, leave the area right away properly, these appliances are not a problem. Carbon and call 911. You do not want to risk passing out… or worse. monoxide becomes a problem when: Any fuel-burning Initial symptoms of CO poisoning: • Vehicles (i.e. cars and trucks) are left running in appliance in your home is • Headache enclosed spaces or an attached garage and CO builds up or leaks back into your home. • Dizziness a potential source of CO. • You sit in an idling car or swim behind an idling boat. • Nausea UNVENTED Therefore, it is recommended that ALL homes have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in • Fuel-burning appliances or heating systems are • Fatigue HEATERS ARE not installed or used properly. working condition. • Shortness of breath UNSAFE! • Portable fuel-burning heating units or generators Additional signs that you might Never install or service combustion appliances are used indoors when the windows are kept closed. be exposed to CO: without proper knowledge, skills, and tools. • Chimneys and flues become damaged or blocked • Headaches occur only while indoors when not maintained. Never use a gas range, oven, or dryer for heating • You feel better when you’re outdoors your home. • Homes are too tightly sealed and insulated causing CO to be trapped in living areas. • Others you live or work with Never operate an unvented gas-burning appliance have the same symptoms • You burn charcoal inside your home, or in a tent, in a closed room or in a room while you sleep. vehicle, or garage.