Each year, about 1,300 episodes of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurring by accident and involving nearly 3,000 people are declared to the health authorities. This year, the Poison Control Centers reported more than 70 carbon monoxide poisonings among people who wanted to heat their homes”with devices not intended for this use“, alerted thehandles November 10, 2022. And with the drop in temperatures in recent days, the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning linked to the use of heating appliances are increasing again.
Barbecues, charcoal stoves, generators or even braziers… If outdoors, the small quantity of carbon monoxide emitted by these devices is dispersed in the air, indoors, the concentration can quickly increase and endanger animals and people present. .
Among the 70 poisoned people, more than half had to be hospitalized, so some by administration of oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber. As a reminder, carbon monoxide poisoning – an odorless but very toxic gas – is the first cause of death by toxic product In France.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: how to prevent?
The presence of carbon monoxide results from incomplete combustion, regardless of the fuel used: wood, butane, coal, gasoline, fuel oil, natural gas, petroleum, propane. It spreads very quickly in the environment and can be fatal in less than an hour by causing asphyxiation of blood cells.
For prevent the risk of poisoning :
- Ventilate your home regularly (at least 10 minutes a day, even in very cold weather) and do not obstruct the ventilation grilles
- Never use appliances not intended for this purpose to heat you indoors (brazier, camping stoves, ovens, barbecues, etc.)
- Have the flues and chimneys swept at least once a year
- Check your installations before the heating season (chimneys, boiler, water heater, pellet stove, wood, etc.)
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Headaches, nausea, vomiting are symptoms that should alert you as soon as possible. VSSymptoms appear more or less quickly and can affect several people in the same household.
If they are shared by several people who were in the same room, it is likely carbon monoxide poisoning. Severe poisoning can lead to coma and death, sometimes within minutes. We must therefore act very quickly.
What to do in case of carbon monoxide poisoning?
If poisoning is suspected:
- Ventilate the accommodation immediately;
- Shut down fuel-burning appliances if possible;
- Evacuate the premises and call for help by dialing 15, 18 or 112 (and 114 for the hearing impaired);
- For any other symptoms, the Poison Control Centers can be reached 24 hours a day and reachable 7 days a week.
Source :
- Heating: watch out for carbon monoxide poisoning, ANSES, 10 November 2022
- The dangers of carbon monoxide, Public Health France,
