(CLEVELAND CLINIC) - As you heat your homes this winter, it's important to make sure you're taking the right precautions to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to the CDC, roughly 50,000 people in the United States go to the emergency department every year for it. The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and vomiting. With significant exposures, you could collapse and go into cardiac arrest. So, what can someone do to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning? Doctors say first and foremost, it's important to make sure you have working detectors in your home. Things like your furnace and water heater should be serviced annually. And don't forget to clear out debris from vents and flues too. Finally, if you plan to heat your car in the garage, the garage door needs to be open.
"So anywhere there is combustion going on, whether it's from a heater or an oven or an engine that's running. Other areas you can see it are in garages where there's engines, welders, different occupational hazards, is where you can see carbon monoxide accumulating within the home," said Dr. Thomas Waters, Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Waters says if you suspect you are experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, you should go to the hospital to get checked out. You can also have your local fire department come out to see if there is a carbon monoxide leak in your home.
