Skip to main content

Should you worry about carbon monoxide?

When it comes to their homes’ safety and security, many people invest in security cameras, motion sensors, and even smoke detectors to keep their families protected and healthy. An often neglected safety measure, however, is carbon monoxide detectors.

Should you worry about carbon monoxide? The short answer is yes, but the details aren’t as fear-inducing as you might think. People are hospitalized and die every year from overexposure to carbon monoxide. but you can keep your family safe from this “silent killer” by knowing the dangers of carbon monoxide and how to prevent exposure.

Related Videos

What emits carbon monoxide?

Appliances and other devices that operate by burning fuel give off carbon monoxide. There are various items in your home that could potentially be sourced, depending on how they are designed. Gas-powered kitchen appliances, furnaces, water heaters, dryers, and even your fireplace are some of the biggest indoor culprits of carbon monoxide production. Additionally, your car, your charcoal grill, and wood-burning stoves in your garage can also pose a danger.

gas stovetop burner with pot
DGLimages/Shutterstock

The dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide is a gas that can easily become deadly if you are exposed to it for too long. While it’s deadly, the biggest danger lies in the difficulty of detecting it. Since carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, it is undetectable, and a gas leak can become a dangerous situation. According to the CDC, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires each year, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to exposure.

What are the symptoms?

While the gas itself is undetectable to humans, another danger lies in the unassuming carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms. Since symptoms are flu-like, victims of overexposure don’t necessarily seek treatment immediately, prolonging the exposure and leading to more serious risks. UIHC experts say, “effects of CO in your blood are accumulative, and the longer you’re exposed to it, the longer it takes to rid your body of its effects.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning reduces your blood’s ability to carry oxygen to the rest of your body. Symptoms of mild carbon exposure include fatigue, headaches, and mild nausea. As exposure is further extended, the symptoms intensify to debilitating headaches and disorientated behavior. In cases of long exposure to carbon monoxide, victims experience convulsions, lose consciousness, and eventually heart failure.

How to minimize risks

The easiest and most effective way to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in your home is to install carbon monoxide detectors. These devices should be installed in any areas where there are gas-operated appliances or devices, including the kitchen, the living room, the basement, and the garage. Many carbon monoxide detectors can be integrated into your home’s security system to alert you when high levels of gas are detected.

It’s also important to have your gas-powered appliances inspected annually by professionals to ensure they are not faulty and at risk for a gas leak.

How to test for carbon monoxide without a detector

If you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector in your home, some other methods can be used to determine if carbon monoxide is present at dangerous levels.

Signs to watch for

Appliances that are emitting carbon monoxide can exhibit some evidence. If you see a yellowish-brown, soot-like substance on or around gas appliances or find that there are high levels of condensation around them, this may sign a gas leak, and carbon monoxide may be present.

If you have gas-powered appliances and you suspect high levels of carbon monoxide, or if you’d simply like to play it safe, a portable carbon monoxide meter may be a good investment. These meters can be used to measure the levels of carbon monoxide in the air in any given space in your home. Use the meter near your stove, furnace, or in your garage to determine whether or not you have unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.

Air quality testing companies will come to your home and test the air quality for signs of carbon monoxide or other dangerous gases and chemicals. This may be a good option if you have several gas-powered appliances or devices in various rooms in your home. For example, if your furnace is emitting carbon monoxide, it could distribute it to other areas of your home through heating elements and vents.

Who do I call to check my house for carbon monoxide?

As we mentioned previously, professional air quality testing companies are a good first step in checking your home for carbon monoxide, particularly if you’re not sure which appliance is the likely culprit. They will be able to check various areas in your home and do a thorough analysis of your air quality. Alternatively, if you suspect a certain appliance or device of having a gas leak, call the manufacturer, and they will send a technician to your home to examine the appliance.

Becca Tapert/Unsplash

Your family’s safety is a top priority, and the air you breathe in your home is not exempt from safety hazards. Since carbon monoxide poisoning often goes unrecognized and it can quickly turn fatal, the safest option for your family is to have protocols in place for prevention, detection, and treatment. With such simple and affordable solutions for preventing and detecting carbon monoxide, why take a risk with your and your loved ones’ health?

Editors' Recommendations

Ranked: The 7 best indoor plants to decorate your home with in November
Brighten your space with these indoor houseplants this winter
Christmas cactus

In the summer, we naturally get lots of healthy exposure to nature and all of its greenery. Luckily, when the weather starts to cool off, you don't have to wait until the next year's bloom to enjoy some nature again. Keeping houseplants in the winter is a great way to maintain a piece of the outdoors in your life, even when it's too cold to venture outside.

Benefits of winter houseplants
Houseplants certainly spruce up the decor of any indoor space, but there are also plenty of other benefits. In fact, indoor plants can boost your physical and mental health when you're hunkering down for winter.
Increased humidity
Winter months produce dry air indoors due to forced, heated air, and this can lead to uncomfortable dryness in the skin, nose, and throat. Indoor plants can increase the humidity levels in your home through their transpiration process, which expels excess moisture that eventually evaporates into the air.
Air purification
Through the process of photosynthesis, houseplants can purify the air. They absorb carbon dioxide, allergens, and other airborne toxins, and expel that beneficial oxygen. You may find yourself feeling much healthier during the winter months thanks to these plants.
Mood elevation
Many people across the nation find themselves plagued with the winter blues. As the weather cools and daylight becomes a rarity, our moods take a hit. Luckily, houseplants can give your mood a boost. Plants are soothing and can relieve stress and even increase productivity. This makes them a welcome addition to any home or office space.

Read more
The climate change risks home buyers are sleeping on, according to Zillow
Analysis: This climate change risk is the only one that home buyers are worried about
analysis of climate change risks for home buyers houses in houston suburb flooded from hurricane harvey 2017

Climate change is shaping the world we live in. From record-high temperatures to worsening hurricanes and the increase in frequency and severity of wildfires, homeowners across the country are facing more and more threats to the safety of their homes. But that doesn’t mean home buyers are necessarily thinking about these threats. According to a recent analysis by Zillow, there’s really only one risk home buyers are heeding — flooding.

Home buyers are paying attention to flooding risks
Completed in conjunction with ClimateCheck, a climate risk data provider, the Zillow analysis found that flood risks are having a growing influence on home buyers. While home values in areas prone to flood risks continue to increase at a faster rate than other areas, these areas are also seeing an increase in both mortgage denials and potential borrowers deciding to withdraw their mortgage applications.

Read more
This is what you should be planting in fall for a beautiful spring garden
Plant these seedlings in the fall and watch them grow in spring
Spring flowers forget-me-not

If you want a beautiful garden next spring, it's best to get to work now and start planting in the fall. Autumn is the perfect time to clear new garden beds, build pathways, add architectural elements, and of course, plant. Fall is also the ideal time to install cold-hardy plants because pest populations will dwindle, and plant growth patterns will turn in your favor.

The cooler autumn air is much more forgiving, and the still-warm soil offers an ideal environment for deep root development. And although your new garden plants will be going dormant soon, their roots will continue to grow through fall, until the ground freezes. This gives them an immense head start, as they'll have two seasons (fall and spring) to deepen and strengthen their roots ahead of next summer’s dry heat. As you plan your garden for the year ahead, consider planting these seedlings right now.

Read more