The following symptoms may be signs of CO poisoning. It's important to inform all family members about this.
- Mild exposure: mild headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue (often described as a 'flu-like' feeling).
- Average exposure: throbbing headaches, numbness, confusion, accelerated heart rate
- Extreme exposure: unconsciousness, cramps, heart and lung failure, death.
A CO detector monitors the level of CO in the air around the CO detector, measured in parts per million (ppm).
|
35 ppm |
The maximum allowable concentration for continuous exposure over a period of 8 hours for healthy adults. This is a recommendation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). |
|
200 ppm |
Slight headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea after 2 - 3 hours. |
|
400 ppm |
Headache within 1 - 2 hours, life-threatening after 3 hours. |
|
800 ppm |
Dizziness, nausea and cramps within 45 minutes. Unconsciousness within 2 hours Death within 2 - 3 hours. |
|
1600 ppm |
Headache, dizziness, nausea within 20 min.; Death within 1 hour. |
|
3200 ppm |
Within 5-10 min: headache, dizziness, nausea; Death within 25-30 min. |
|
6400 ppm |
Within 1-2 min, headache, dizziness, nausea; Death within 10-15 min. |
|
12800 ppm |
Death within 1-3 min. |
If you suspect you or your family has been exposed to carbon monoxide, open the doors and windows to air out your home, turn off all the appliances and leave the building.
Contact a public authority to find the source of the carbon monoxide before entering the building again. Seek medical attention for anyone who suffers from the effects of CO poisoning.