Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

About Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that forms when fuel or other materials are burned. It is invisible and has no odor. Even short-term exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal.

This site contains data on unintentional carbon monoxide incidents and emergency responses by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), reports to the NYC Poison Control Center (PCC) of actual or potential carbon monoxide exposure and hospitalizations of NYC residents who have been poisoned by carbon monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide and Health

Carbon monoxide exerts its toxic effects by blocking oxygen transport in the body. Breathing in high concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, death or permanent neurological injury.

Symptoms of mild carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and disorientation.

About the Data and Indicators

The frequency of carbon monoxide poisonings that occur in NYC may be underestimated in these data for several reasons:

Symptoms of mild to moderate carbon monoxide poisoning are non-specific, and may be confused with flu-like illness.
Persons experiencing symptoms may not seek medical treatment or call the Poison Control Center.
Though all poisonings are reportable to the Department of Health, many health care providers may not report them.
Deaths are relatively rare and therefore reported as citywide totals only, which cannot be mapped.

Prevention

To help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

Residential property owners are required by NYC law to install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure your home has working detectors that can be heard from any bedroom. Test your detectors and replace their batteries at least twice a year. Never remove the batteries to use in another device, even for a short time.
Never use a gas stove, oven or other cooking appliance to heat your home. And never use unvented gas space heaters - they’re illegal. Tenants should call 311 to report heating problems that landlords fail to repair. Home owners should have heating systems inspected before each winter season.
If using an emergency generator when the power goes out, never run it indoors or near any enclosed space. Keep it outside, far away from any doors or windows.
Avoid carbon monoxide hazards around motor vehicles. On cold days, check to make sure the tail pipe under the vehicle is clear of snow before starting the engine, and never warm up a car inside a garage. Never swim or do any water sports close to the exhaust outlet on a boat.

Key Messages

Nationally and locally, the rates of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning have slowly declined over the past three decades. However, carbon monoxide remains a common cause of life-threatening and fatal poisonings. From 2000 to 2005, more than 400 NYC residents were hospitalized and 30 died as a result of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.

In 2004, NYC became one of the first major cities to require carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings.