Each year, over two hundred people in the United States die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and most of them were unaware that they were being poisoned by this odorless and invisible gas. What can you do to make sure your family and loved ones are protected?

What is Carbon Monoxide?"

Carbon monoxide is an invisible, tasteless, and odorless gas that is a byproduct of burning various types of fuels. Coal, natural gas, and kerosene all produce carbon monoxide when you use them. Your automobile creates carbon monoxide whenever its engine burns gasoline. Of course, this gas is usually released into the open air where it dissipates and causes no ill effects. But in an enclosed area, it concentrates to a level that it will make you ill or even kill you.

How Can You Tell if You Have CO Poisoning?

The symptoms can be mistaken for those of the flu, but they include severe headaches, nausea, and dizziness. You will not run a fever if you have been poisoned, but will have trouble breathing and be exhausted. If you have any of these symptoms, head for your local emergency room immediately and tell the doctor your concerns. The problem with CO poisoning is that many people don't know that they're being poisoned until they fall unconscious and then die—often in their own houses or cars.

Where do most poisonings happen?

Unfortunately, most of them occur at home where you would assume you'd be the safest. A major cause of CO poisonings is the use of space heaters, especially in winter. Many people seal up their homes to prevent the cold from coming in while setting up space heaters to heat individual rooms. Unfortunately, the CO created by these heaters has no place to go and will instead stay in the room and slowly poison the inhabitants. Each year people die because they wanted to stay warm and accidentally killed themselves instead.

Another common CO source is the automobile. Outside, your car's carbon monoxide dissipates into the air, causing no ill effects. But if you sit in your garage with the door closed for any length of time, the concentration of CO in the air will rise, often leading to death. This, unfortunately, is a common resource for those considering suicide. But it can also happen to those who like to work on their cars inside their garages. Without proper air circulation you can accidently poison yourself while tinkering with your car.

A fireplace also creates CO, as does the furnace in your basement. With proper air circulation you can channel the carbon monoxide out of your home without any danger, but often a closed chimney flue can be a death sentence or at the least a major health danger. Even if it's not closed, debris and dirt can clog your chimney to the point that the smoke may escape while the CO rises slowly and surely in the room.