Today’s post comes from guest author Leonard Jernigan, from The Jernigan Law Firm.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that at least 430 people die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning (www.cdc.gov/features/copoisoning/). Several years ago we represented a young lady who was exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at a convenience store where she worked. Some repairs were being made to concrete and the workers were using gas-powered tools to cut into the concrete and there was improper ventilation. She collapsed and was taken to the hospital with possible brain damage.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that can severely damage the human body and in some cases it can lead to death. The following tips can protect your family from CO poisoning:

• Know the symptoms of CO poisoning. These include headaches, dizziness, vomiting, confusion, weakness, blurred vision and nausea. Extreme symptoms include severely impaired mental state, coordination loss, loss of breath, increased heart rate, chest pain and loss of consciousness. Persons experiencing CO poisoning symptoms should be removed from the enclosed environment and taken to a medical professional. Call your local authorities to make a report.
• Be aware of CO sources in your home. Any gas burning appliance such as a furnace, boiler, gas stove, water heater, fireplace and gas-powered tools can be a CO source. Make sure these types of appliances are serviced regularly to lower the risk of CO poisoning.
• Don’t put a gas generator in the house, garage or outside your house near a window. Generators have the capability of producing CO levels several hundred times those found in normal automobile exhausts. The CDC recommends that generators should be used at least 20 feet away from your house in a properly ventilated area.
• Install a CO detector to alert of a possible CO leak.

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