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A CO stat that is hard to believe

John R. Hall
John R. Hall Member Posts: 2,245
in THE MAIN WALL
Many cases go unreported or misdiagnosed. People just wake up with a headache and take a couple of aspirins. The latent poisoning goes on and on until the bloodstream has absorbed so much CO that a person eventually is taken to the emergency room with "unknown" symptoms. Thousands, not hundreds, of people die each year but not all are linked to CO. How do I know? From years of studying, that's how.

Comments

  • John R. Hall
    John R. Hall Member Posts: 2,245
    Really?

    Maybe it's just me but I find these statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pretty hard to believe:

    "Carbon monoxide from [gasoline powered] generators resulted in at least 64 deaths in 2005." And this "According to the CPSC an estimated 103 deaths were associated with home heating systems that use liquid propane gas, natural gas, kerosene, oil, coal or wood."

    The full report is in this document at:

    http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/pressroom/2006/COwarning.htm

    In the first quote, "at least" could mean many different things but I have to believe that the number is the in the hundreds. And the second just seem wrong, period. There must be a LOT of misdiagnosis' going on in emergency rooms!
  • realolman
    realolman Member Posts: 513
    not to be argumentative

    but why do you think it is more?
  • Bob Harper
    Bob Harper Member Posts: 1,128
    missed Dx

    Just to echo John's point:

    I'm cleaning out a totally plugged heater flue thimble. She calle me because the HVAC tech thought an obstruction in the chimney might have been what was tripping the high limit switch ALL THESE YEARS. There are three successive bird nests near the top of the chimney just like a core sample from oil explorers telling a history. That's at least 3 yrs of a blocked chimney! Then she starts telling me how her husband recently died from either a stroke or bad heart, they weren't sure but she was bummed because she missed the funeral due to having the flu!

    Now, where in the current reporting structure does this get captured? CDC? NFPA fire losses? CPSC? Geraldo?

    This is precisely the problem with CO----we DON'T know how big of a problem it really is.
  • GW
    GW Member Posts: 5,085


    You only know about it when it's BIG enough to make the news. And if it makes the news, bet your bippie, if it's your job, you've got a real monkey on your back.

    Do yourself a favor and print out a combustion report on every job, for the homeowner's safety and to cover you own rear.

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
    Gary Wilson
    Wilson Services, Inc
    Northampton, MA
    gary@wilsonph.com
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,908
    Great points John, Bob and Gary


    If any one else REALLY wants to see how often CO poisonings happen, set up a Google News Alert with Carbon Monoxide as the key phrase.

    A link to every CO story that hits the net will be e-mailed to you.

    You will be surprised.

    Mark H



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