Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Public Health News

Maine CDC Issues Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Advisory For Those Opening Their Summer Camps, USA

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 24 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article


Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, is issuing an advisory about the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning when people open camps for the summer.

Health officials urge camp owners to make sure their propane-fueled stoves and/or refrigerators are operating properly and safely when turned on for the season. They should also make sure they have a working carbon monoxide detector close to where people sleep.

"Last spring we saw several poisonings in which family members were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide because of poorly maintained gas-fueled appliances. Some of these poisonings were life-threatening," said State Toxicologist Dr. Andrew Smith. Though early in the season, state health officials have already investigated two camp-related incidents involving carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Maine CDC recently made carbon monoxide poisoning a reportable disease and now investigates the causes of all reported poisonings. "Tgus change in reporting will help us identify the causes of carbon monoxide poisonings so we can better inform the public about ways to prevent these hazards," said Smith said.

Each year, there are more than 100 emergency department admissions in Maine due to carbon monoxide poisoning, with between one and five deaths. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless colorless gas emitted when burning most fuels. Improper venting, maintenance, operation or placement of combustion devices can result in poisoning when CO gas builds up in enclosed spaces. CO interferes with the delivery of oxygen to body tissues. Warning signs of CO poisoning are flu-like symptoms, including headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, and confusion, but no fever. CO poisoning can cause coma and death.

"The best way to prevent CO poisoning is to make sure combustion devices are well-maintained, regularly serviced, and operated properly," said State Health Officer Dr. Dora Anne Mills. "A carbon monoxide detector with back-up battery power should be placed near every sleeping area."

The Maine State Legislature passed a new law this session that requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in all apartments and new single-family dwellings. Detectors are also required in existing single-family dwellings whenever there is a transfer of ownership or the addition of at least one new bedroom.

For information on the new State law requiring carbon monoxide detectors, click here.

Source
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
H1N1 Swine Flu Map Of Confirmed Outbreaks To-Date
09 Jun 2009
Featured below is an interactive Google map pinpointing outbreaks of H1N1 swine flu in 2009, together with source attributions, report dates, and current known statuses. This map is updated throughout the day with the...


Are Their Risks with Indoor Tanning? image Are Their Risks with Indoor Tanning?

There are risks in tanning whether you are doing it outdoors or at a salon...

Leg Cramps Can Be Helped With Exercise image Leg Cramps Can Be Helped With Exercise

Simple exercises can help ease the pain from chronic leg cramps...

View more videos...