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Madeleine Baran
St. Paul, Minn.

Report raises concerns over carbon monoxide poisoning

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Sixty-one Minnesotans died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from 2003 to 2007, with the number of fatalities peaking in the fall and winter months, according to a new report by the state's Department of Health.

Carbon monoxide poisoning also caused 175 hospitalizations and 1,261 emergency department visits during the same period.

"This is a serious public health hazard, and it's something that [people] should be paying attention to," said Jean Johnson, director for the department's environmental public health tracking division.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include severe headache, dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. When inhaled, the gas deprives the body of oxygen and can lead to illness, unconsciousness, and death.

Faulty furnaces and poorly maintained non-electric space heaters and power generators are to blame for many of the deaths.

"We really urge people to be cautious with those," Johnson said. "Make sure you have a qualified technician check the heating system and any fuel-burning appliances."

The odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas can be difficult to detect, but department officials hope that a new state law will help reduce the number of poisonings.

The law requires that building owners install carbon monoxide detectors in all single-family homes and multi-family apartments, effective August 2009. The devices must be installed within ten feet of all bedrooms.

The MDH report found that the number of fatalities varied over the five-year period, from a high of 15 deaths in 2003 to a low of nine deaths in 2007.

The number of calls to the state's Poison Control Center increased from 262 in 2003 to 537 in 2007. Emergency room visits during the same time period increased from 211 to 334.

Health department officials caution that the numbers could include several calls or emergency room visits in connection with the same incident. The report also does not include data from Veterans Affairs hospitals.

MDH officials gathered the data as part of a new collaborative effort funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at improving tracking of carbon monoxide poisonings.