Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in the world, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, about 200,000 Americans suffer CO-induced heart attacks each year. Claude Piantadosi, director for the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University, says it's hard to tell if you've had carbon monoxide poisoning because early symptoms; such as headache and nausea -- are similar to those of the flu.

"Many patients have poisoning and don't realize it. Or they go to seek some medical attention and the medical people feel like this may be just a viral problem or the flu and send them back to the environment where the poisoning gets worse."

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that's produced when people burn fuels such as gasoline, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal. Piantadosi says the winter months are especially dangerous because people start turning on the heat.

"When you get ready to turn the heat on, you should have your heater checked. Make sure there are no cracks in the flue, that there are no leaks of incompletely burned fuel into the house."

I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.

Piantadosi recommends asking a doctor to test for carbon monoxide exposure if you have frequent headaches, dizziness or nausea.

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"The testing is relatively simple.It requires just a single blood test.The blood is then put through an analyzer that detects the presence of CO bound to the hemoglobin."