According to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first month of the year is the worst for carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Evesham Township Police Department wants to remind its residents that January is National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month.
Police say that according to a new study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first month of the year is the worst for carbon monoxide poisoning.
The study shows that at least two people die each day from carbon-monoxide poisoning in January, which is three times the fatality rate recorded in August and July.
According to the study, carbon monoxide deaths are the highest in winter (December is the second highest month) as cold weather increases the use of gas-powered furnaces as well as the use of risky alternative heating and power sources (portable generators, charcoal briquettes, propane stoves or grills) during power outages.
Police remind residents of the following safety tips to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:
· Have heating systems, water heater and any other gas, oil or coal-burning appliance inspected and serviced by a qualified technician every year.
· Install battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors on every level of one’s home.
· Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside the home, basement or garage or outside the home near a window.
· Don’t let a vehicle idle inside a garage attached to a house, even if the garage door is left open.
· If a carbon monoxide detector sounds, leave one’s home immediately and call 911 from outside. Seek prompt medical attention if carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected and if someone in one’s household is feeling dizzy, light-headed or nauseated.
