Sale of CO detectors boom following Toronto deaths
CMAJ 1998;158:580
© 1998 Peter Wilton
There was a home invasion in East Toronto in January, but in this case the invisible and silent killer was not a criminal. Over the course of 2 days it left 2 people dead and two more clinging to life. The stealthy invader was carbon monoxide, and it gained entry when a squirrel's nest blocked a chimney, causing fumes to back up into the house.
Bill Robinson of the Department of Toxicology at the Ontario Centre of Forensic Science says CO poisoning is deceptive because initial symptoms resemble the flu. They include a headache, which has been compared with having an elastic band tightened around the head, as well as nausea, weakness, confusion, stupor and coma. One visible sign of CO poisoning is a characteristic cherry-red colouring of the cheeks and lips. The danger it poses caused great concern during the recent ice storm in Ontario and Quebec when the lack of electricity caused people to run gas-powered generators near their homes. Several deaths were attributed to it.
Carbon monoxide kills by combining irreversibly with blood hemoglobin. Depending upon the amount of CO present in relation to the amount of oxygen, the poison can kill within minutes or, as was the case in East Toronto, over a few days.
Physicians who see patients with severe headache and nausea should consider asking if is anyone else in the patient's home is experiencing the same symptoms. If others are, they should be advised to leave the home immediately and carbon monoxide levels should be checked.
CO kills between 200 and 300 Ontarians a year. Although the problem is usually confined to the winter months, deaths have occurred in summer when boaters and campers use a gas heater in a confined space.
The tragedy in East Toronto caused a surge in sales of carbon monoxide detectors, which cost from $40 to $60. Experts say one of the best methods of prevention is a yearly furnace inspection.
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