# 6705
The CDC’s MMWR has a Notes From The Field report today on the the large number of CO exposures linked to the aftermath of hurricane Sandy in the North East.
It is such a common occurrence after a major storm – when power supplies are often disrupted - that I wrote about the risks twice during the past week (see here, and here).
Despite the warnings that go out every winter, and after every big storm, people without heat or light are often desperate enough to take chances. One such story from a couple of days ago produced tragic results:
Upstate couple found dead from apparent generator carbon monoxide poisoning
A generator used after Superstorm Sandy is believed to have killed an elderly couple. They were discovered Monday in Shokan, the husband in a basement and the wife at the bottom of stairs. It is believed they had been dead for at least two days.
By Charlie Wells / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Today’s MMWR cites more than 260 CO exposures (4 fatal, not including the 2 mentioned above) in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Notes from the Field: Carbon Monoxide Exposures Reported to Poison Centers and Related to Hurricane Sandy — Northeastern United States, 2012
Weekly
November 9, 2012 / 61(44);905-905Hurricane Sandy made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone along the coast of southern New Jersey on Monday, October 29, 2012. In the wake of Sandy, state and federal public health agencies have observed an increase in the number of exposures to carbon monoxide (CO) reported to poison centers. CO is imperceptible and can cause adverse health effects ranging from fatigue and headache to cardiorespiratory failure, coma, and death (1). CO poisoning is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in post-disaster situations, when widespread power outages occur and risky behaviors, such as improper placement of generators and indoor use of charcoal grills, increase (2,3).
As of November 6, a total of 263 CO exposures related to Hurricane Sandy had been reported to poison centers in eight states: 80 in New York, 61 in New Jersey, 44 in Connecticut, 39 in Pennsylvania, 27 in West Virginia, eight in Virginia, three in Maryland, and one in Delaware. Four of the reported exposures, all in Pennsylvania, resulted from the use of a generator in a garage and were fatal. This likely is an underestimation of the total number of fatal cases; larger numbers of CO-related deaths have been reported in the media. Where symptom information was available (n = 182), the most frequently reported symptoms were headache (69 cases, 37.9%), nausea (44 cases, 24.2%), and dizziness (36 cases, 19.8%). For comparison, the total number of CO exposures reported to poison centers and related to Hurricane Irene during August 28–September 2, 2011, was 49.
CO exposures can be prevented by 1) placing generators as far from homes as possible, but also at a safe distance from any nearby dwellings; the recommended distance for generator placement outside a home is a minimum of 25 feet (7.6 m) (3); 2) never using a generator, grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside a home, basement, garage, or outside near an open window; 3) never heating homes with a gas oven or by burning charcoal; 4) ensuring that fuel-burning space heaters are properly vented; 5) installing a battery-operated or battery back-up CO alarm in the home; and 6) leaving the building and dialing 911 if a CO alarm sounds, if CO poisoning is supected, or if any person begins to feel dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous. More information about CO poisoning is available at http://www.cdc.gov/co/guidelines.htm. For suspected cases of CO poisoning and other exposures, persons should call their regional poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
The CDC offers the following basic advice regarding carbon monoxide:
Prevention Guidance
You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Exposure
- Do have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
- Do install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911.
- Do seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous.
- Don't use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.
- Don't run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
- Don't burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented.
- Don't heat your house with a gas oven.
Having had a close call with CO poisoning myself due to a faulty furnace in a house I had just moved into, I now keep a CO detector in my house, along with a couple of smoke detectors.
