Worrying About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Kept Me Up Last Night

The  story that I read about the Lyman, New Hampshire couple who perished from carbon monoxide poisoning along with several of their pets last month really hit me hard. According to NBC5.com, the couple had a carbon monoxide detector, but it had no batteries in it. The fact that thirteen Mainers have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning since Nov. 1, 2018 just reinforced my fear of the clear, tasteless, odorless killer. Please get carbon monoxide detectors for your home so that I can sleep tonight.

According to Newscenter Maine, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Mainers of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

CO is not only toxic, it's also combustible. To make things worse, there's no smell or taste to tip you off. A high concentration of carbon monoxide can kill you in a matter of minutes. A lower concentration will take longer and you may feel the following symptoms:

• blurry vision
• nausea and vomiting
• confusion, dizziness
• headache, fatigue
• chest pain
• shortness of breath

These are symptoms of many other things too. The only way to know that it's CO poisoning is to have a carbon monoxide detector.

Here in Maine, we have plenty of opportunity for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning:

• improperly using a generator
• snowbanks that block vents
• warming up a vehicle by running it in a closed garage
• plugged chimneys
• pellet stoves, propane heaters and stoves, and kerosene heaters that aren't vented properly

Our carbon monoxide detector is working just fine, but I worry about you. Please make sure that yours is working, and pick a couple up on your way home today if you don't have any.

Love,

Celeste