CO Poisoning

Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer and can take a life within minutes. CO is a poisonous gas that can be emitted by common household items - like a gas furnace or water heater. What makes this so deadly is that you cannot see it, smell it or taste it. You would think most everyone would have a in their home, in fact you would think they would be more common that the fire alarm. Shockingly only 50% of Americans have CO alarms installed in their homes and 61% of Americans can't identify any signs of CO poisoning risk in their home.

This "silent killer" kills 500 people and sends 20,000 more to the hospital each year. Commissioned by Underwriters Laboratories -a 115 year old product safety organization, the survey overall finds that Americans might be over confident in their ability to protect themselves and their family from CO poisoning.

UL has put together an extensive list of safety tips you can follow to protect yourself and your loved ones against CO. Some of their safety tips include -

• Have a qualified technician inspect fuel burning appliances once a year
• Protect your home by purchasing and installing a CO alarm
• Be prepared should your CO alarm detect a problem
• Know the signs of potential CO poisoning

For more information on CO safety and Underwriters Laboratories visit www.ul.com