giving oxygen. It is especially deadly to people
who have preexisting lung or circulatory
problems. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, CO is the leading cause of
accidental poisoning deaths in American
homes, and, because of increasing use of portable generators during power outages, deaths
have doubled in recent years.
Carbon monoxide:
PHOTODISC
By Janet Groene
YOU CAN’T SEE it. It doesn’t irritate your
skin or nose. If you do feel sick before you
pass out from carbon monoxide poisoning,
you probably think it’s the flu. Tempted to
sleep it off, you may not wake up again. New
research reveals that carbon monoxide (CO)
is even more harmful than was once thought.
The good news is that a new generation of
CO detectors can keep you and your loved
ones safer.
What you don’t know could kill you
New research at Brigham Young University
by Dr. Ramona Hopkins, a specialist in the
neurosciences, shows that some individuals
are more susceptible than others, regardless of
age, and that about one-fourth of CO survivors are left with some sort of permanent
damage, such as a cognitive disorder, loss of
memory or personality changes.
After entering the body, CO attaches to
hemoglobin in the blood and replaces life-
What you already know
It’s not news that fuel-burning appliances
in the home such as gas and wood-burning
stoves need to be vented, and vents must be
checked regularly to make sure they are not
plugged. You already know you shouldn’t run
the car in a garage or carport, use charcoal or
the kitchen gas stove to heat the house, or
block flues used by the furnace, gas water
heater or gas dryer.
If you use a kerosene heater, you know
you should read and follow directions scrupulously. And you’re probably aware that you
need to run generators in the open air.
a
the car in a garage or carport, use charcoal or
e
o
o
n
s
What you may not know
Charcoal should not be used under any
cover, not even on an open porch or in a fireplace. Don’t use a charcoal grill near an open
door or window where vapors can blow into
the house, the RV or the cabin of your boat. CO
concentrations can pool in low areas. Children
have been poisoned while swimming next to a
YOUR FAMILY’S HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you wash your hands
with soap and clean water for 20 seconds to help prevent getting sick and spreading illness to others:
1
2
3
4
Use warm running water and soap.
Lather up – scrub all
hand surfaces (front, back,
between your ;ngers,
wrists and under nails)
for 20 seconds.
Rinse well.
Dry with a clean towel.
©2009 Colgate-Palmolive Co.
To learn more about proper hand washing, please visit
Lather Up for Good Health® at softsoap.com or cdc.gov/cleanhands.
Depend on America’s most trusted brand of liquid hand soap.
