While some Texas residents are burning old furniture in an effort to stay warm, others are becoming so desperate that they are bringing grills and generators inside to stay warm. Sadly, this is leading spikes in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in the state.
Due to the persistent power outages in Texas, people are desperately looking for some way to stay warm. Some people are using grills, generators, and other heat sources that contaminate the air with carbon monoxide. This is leading to carbon monoxide poisoning throughout the state.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is not visible to the naked eye nor can you smell it. Usually, you will only know that your home has been contaminated by the gas after showing signs of CO poisoning. The symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, chest pain, confusion, and shortness of breath. Grills, campfire stoves, generators, and car engines release carbon monoxide and contaminate the environment.
According to NPR, the Houston police reported two carbon monoxide poisoning fatalities in a single day. A family of four was poisoned after running their car in the garage attached to their home to stay warm. The woman and one of the children did not survive, while the man and other child were taken to the hospital to get taken care of. CO poisoning can cause brain damage and even death in a matter of minutes.
How to Stay Safe
In order to stay safe from the deadly gas, it is important to take stock of your own home. Always check the status of fire extinguisher and CO detectors. If your carbon monoxide detector does not operate without power, perhaps getting a battery operated one is a good idea in the event of power outages. While this might seem like common sense, people often forget to keep those things in check and that could cost a life.
Since we cannot detect carbon monoxide ourselves, alarms like the Owl Wired are a good investment. The Owl wired is a smoke, carbon monoxide, motion, noise, temperature, and humidity detector with a built-in alarm. It features a backup lithium-ion battery so it will continue to function during power outages for a few months. Owl Wired is easy to install because it has embedded magnets that secure the censor to the wall. You simply mount the device, connect to the power source, and configure it using the Owl Home mobile app.
It is extremely important that you and your loved ones are safe. That is why forgetting to do something so simple like checking your carbon monoxide detector is so important. What is happening in Texas is not easy for anyone living through it, but you and your family’s life is important. Stay alert and be careful with the devices you use to stay warm. In case of symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, call the Texas Poison Center Networks.
