The human civilization has given birth to a number of menaces that hinder its own growth. One such example is Carbon monoxide poisoning. It is known as a silent killer as it can give your sensory organs a skip and lead you to death. You can not smell, see or hear it. Incidentally,

it can be prevented from taking place and one can be on the safer side by knowing the signs of this condition. According to the sources, around 50 people expire due to this hazard per year in UK . There are a number of unintentional deaths due to this hazard all across the globe.

Causes of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

When petroleum or natural gas is not burnt properly or totally it leaves residue in the form of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. When a person intakes the gas by breathing, his blood loses the capacity to carry oxygen. As a result his body cells and organs become starved of oxygen. There are some common sources that cause Carbon monoxide poisoning.

Among them the gas based appliances, car engine, and defective central heating systems are most important. If a house has clogged chimneys chances are there that its dwellers will suffer from this menace as the gas remains in the house and taken in by the people unknowingly. A person staying in a closed garage is at an increased risk. Another endangered lot are the fire-fighters who are often exposed to situations where they stand the chance of facing carbon monoxide poisoning.

Many of the busiest metropolitan cities of the world suffer from pollution. Among the polluted gases in the air, carbon monoxide holds a considerable portion. This explains why the residents of those places develop cardiac and respiratory disorders more than people from other places. The government of several countries have implemented stringent vehicle emission norms to cut down carbon monoxide pollution and poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

Unfortunately, the symptoms are non specific in most cases. They can be mistaken as the symptoms of viral flu or cold infections and food poisoning. They include nausea, dizziness, dry cough, headache, sore throat etc. However, Carbon monoxide poisoning does not cause high body temperature as in flu infection and this should be used as a reminder. The children affected by this condition may vomit or complain of stomach upset.

If the poisoning is of a severe kind, the affected person can feel irregular and fast heart beat, drowsiness coupled with breathlessness. In some cases, loss of consciousness may precede death. In some patients suffering from slow poisoning cases, loss of memory can occur and the person may fail to coordinate things.

Prolonged exposure to the gas results in the heart and the central nervous system getting adversely affected. It can also impact the foetus in the womb of a pregnant woman in a negative way.

Prevention

Unlike the lethal diseases, Carbon monoxide poisoning is quite preventable. It is imperative for a person to know the ways he can stop it from happening. People just need to follow and practice certain tips for being on the safer side.

First of all, people should check whether the chimneys are clogged or not on a regular basis. Similarly the heating systems and gas based appliances also need to be tuned up periodically. It is not advisable to run bikes or cars in a closed garage as it is highly risky for the person. The best step would be to install a carbon monoxide alarm in a household. When the level of the poisonous gas increases above the limit for some reason it can alert people and they can breathe easy.

Treatment of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

When the levels of Carbon monoxide shots up in one’s blood it can be assumed he is suffering from its consumption. The first step would be to take the person away from the gas source.

Before making him hospitalized it would be better if he gets oxygen supply coupled with basic life support. In most cases, people who encounter moderate poisoning get cured without much hassle. But the persons suffering prolonged exposure may suffer from some difficulties later.

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