As furnaces switch back on for the year, so does the risk of a poison no one can see or smell. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, which is why it is often called the silent killer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 400 Americans die each year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning unrelated to fires, and more than 100,000 land in emergency rooms. The gas comes from anything that burns fuel: furnaces, gas ranges, water heaters, fireplaces, generators, and cars left running in a garage.
The symptoms are easy to mistake for the flu — headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and confusion — but without the fever. People who are asleep or impaired can die before they ever feel sick.
The fix is inexpensive. The CDC recommends installing battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and near each sleeping area, and testing them when you change the clocks each spring and fall. Have the furnace inspected before winter, and never run a generator or grill indoors or near a window.
Briefs and quick reads selected and edited by The Smart Reader’s editorial team.