CO Poisoning

Carbon monoxide, referred to as the “Silent Killer,” is an odorless, tasteless and colorless gas that can cause brain damage and death.

MR. THOMAS L. GOWAN: Carbon monoxide is also known as the silent killer, but it causes brain injury at exposure levels that are much less than those that would cause death and these exposure levels can occur in many different settings. The cause of carbon monoxide is the incomplete combustion of natural substances like oil, gas, wood, paper, other things that are burned for heat or fuel. The main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are severe headache, flu-like symptoms, severe fatigue, also emotional instability and these symptoms, over time, may progress to incoordination and Parkinsonian-like symptoms if the exposure to carbon monoxide is not interrupted. A person who has been, who believes they may be suffering from carbon monoxide should immediately go out and get a carbon monoxide detector for their apartment or their office or wherever they believe they’re being exposed. If it alarms, they should immediately go to the hospital and be asked to be tested for carboxyhemoglobin, which is a specific test for carbon monoxide and they should go directly from the apartment or the office to the hospital because carboxyhemoglobin has a short half-life and reduces in the blood if you are out of the area of exposure for several hours. If you are suffering from symptoms that include severe headaches, usually in the areas of your temples as well as the severe fatigue, flu-like symptoms and memory loss and you live in an apartment or an office complex where you suspect there may be something wrong with the heating system, you should immediately get a carbon monoxide detector and test to see if that suspicion may be right. If it does alarm, you should contact us because you may have already suffered injury that will be long-lasting or even permanent and we have handled cases against hotels, against apartment complexes, against office complexes where the residents have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and frequently it’s seen that there are pets that die in these buildings or small children become affected and often times it’s more than one person who’s affected by a faulty heating system. It is important to remember that carbon monoxide is not simply a gas that causes death, which it does to be sure, when it is inhaled in high enough concentrations, but at lower concentrations over long periods of time, it causes damage to the brain and these are very serious cases.