Intermountain Health Physicians Issue Carbon Monoxide Warning as Winter Temperatures Come Early

With colder, winter-like temperatures hitting Utah this week, comes an increased risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Intermountain Health physicians are issuing a warning as Utahns turn on their furnaces for the first time of the season or look for alternative methods of heat. 

Each year more than 50,000 people visit the emergency room due to incidents involving carbon monoxide poisoning, dubbed the silent killer, and more than 1,000 people in the United States will die from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning not linked to fires. 

Intermountain Health clinicians, who treat more than 50 patients a year for carbon monoxide poisoning at Intermountain LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, want to keep residents safe and are reminding everyone to only use approved heaters and make sure carbon monoxide alarms are installed and working.

“When the furnaces turn on, it’s also time the carbon monoxide alarms get a checkup,” said Lindell Weaver, MD, medical director of hyperbaric medicine at Intermountain Medical Center and Intermountain LDS Hospital.

Any fuel-burning heating equipment such as fireplaces, gas stoves, water heaters, furnaces, space heaters, portable generators and chimneys can produce carbon monoxide, said Dr. Weaver.

Carbon monoxide can also be produced from a faulty furnace or automobile exhaust, small gas engines, and other fuel operated machines being used in poorly ventilated spaces.

CO is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and a poisonous gas.  Because it is virtually undetectable by humans, it’s dubbed the “invisible killer.” In the United States, it is the number one cause of death by poisoning.

“Unfortunately, some of the symptoms that come with carbon monoxide poisoning mimic COVID and flu like symptoms – headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, aches, and pains,” said Dr. Weaver. “If you suspect you or someone in your family have been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide you should leave immediately and seek help.”

At Intermountain Health, patients with carbon monoxide poisoning are treated with high-flow oxygen, sometimes in a special room or capsule called a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, to reduce the risk of permanent brain damage.

However, once poisoned, individuals may run the risk of permanent brain or cardiac injury. Treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning reduces this risk, but even with prompt oxygen therapy, disability can still occur. Therefore, thinking about carbon monoxide, and how to prevent it and avoid it is important.

There are several steps people can take to reduce risk of exposure:

• Schedule an annual check-up, for your furnace and hot water heater. It’s important to have all gas-fired furnaces and hot water heaters checked by certified heating and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals annually. Furnaces can crack and become obstructed. 
• Every home and business should have a carbon monoxide monitor and alarm. Carbon monoxide monitors and alarms can be hard-wired, battery-powered or plugged in. Most need to be replaced every five to seven years.
• Check any chimney flues for blockageDon’t keep cars running in enclosed spaces, such as garages
• Be aware of symptoms. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be lethal, sometimes with no advance sign of trouble. This is especially true when people are exposed during their sleep and are unaware or unable to call for help.

For more information, go to https://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/wound-care/hyperbaric-medicine/.

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