Winter storms boost carbon monoxide poisoning risk

Winter storms that have brought record-breaking cold and power outages to many parts of the United States also have heightened the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Every year, at least 430 people die in the United States and 50,000 people visit emergency rooms because of accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Multiple recent storms, with high snow totals, gusting winds, and power outages, have caused an uptick in poison exposures to a variety of substances,” says Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Emergency Medicine. “Not surprisingly, deadly carbon monoxide gas tops the list.”

Here, Calello discusses the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to stay safe when the power goes out:

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