But you can protect against it
As temperatures continue to fall, the New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center remind New Mexicans that they can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by taking a few protective measures.
“As it gets colder, we start seeing more carbon monoxide poisonings,” NMDOH Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel said. “To prepare for winter weather, New Mexicans should make sure their heat sources and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order.”
In 2018 carbon monoxide poisoning sent 187 people to the emergency room according to Environmental Public Health Tracking. These trips to the ER for carbon monoxide poisoning are preventable when people are prepared.
Any heating system that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. To protect yourself and your family from carbon monoxide poisoning, EPHT offers these safety tips:
- Have your furnaces, wood-burning stoves, chimneys and ventilation systems inspected annually by a professional to make sure these heating system components are functionally sound and vent properly to the outside. This should be done for homes and buildings, including structures used for spiritual and religious purposes and outdoor recreation.
- Don’t use any malfunctioning heating products.
- Make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors in your home, as well as battery operated detectors for outdoor use, such as in RVs, cabins, barns, and boats. The EPHT website has tips for selecting detectors.
- Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or in any unventilated garage, barn, or other building, structure, or tent.
- Generators should be run at a safe distance (at least 20 feet) from the home.
- Never run a car in an enclosed space.
- If you suspect you may be experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, or if your detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.
For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning, symptoms, and for practical information visit nmtracking.org/health/poisonings/CarbonMonoxidePoisoning.html. Call the NMPDIC at (800) 222-1222 for guidance on responding to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Staff Reports
