Commonly referred to as the “Silent Killer,” carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can be produced by furnaces, appliances, and many other common items when not properly ventilated. Typically, items such as cars or ovens are of no concern, but under the right circumstances, they can produce deadly amounts of carbon monoxide gas. For example, accidentally leaving your oven on can produce carbon monoxide gas. Even if you are careful about the things you can control, there have been many deaths due to factors that the deceased could not control.
Carbon monoxide kills you by slowly replacing the oxygen in your blood with carbon monoxide. Your body needs oxygen to function, and without oxygen, your body’s cells will begin to die and your organs will fail. This is what’s known as carbon monoxide poisoning, and it can be very deadly. Carbon monoxide can fill a space in your house without you even noticing and the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning can be subtle at first, so it’s incredibly important that you are able to recognize them before it’s too late. Being able to recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning will save your life. If you notice these symptoms are affecting you, you should seek medical attention immediately.
1. Dull Headache
A dull headache is a common ailment. It could be caused by stress, loud noises, or a lack of sleep. A dull headache can also be an early warning sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. How do you differentiate early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning versus a common headache? Well that’s where it can get a little tricky. Surviving victims of carbon monoxide poisoning often described the headache as continuous and located in the front of the head. If your headaches are similar to that, you will also want to start paying attention to where you’re having the headaches and how often they’re happening.
If, for example, you get these headaches in your car on your daily commutes and they dissipate when you’re outside, you may want to have your car checked for carbon monoxide leaks. Headaches caused by carbon monoxide poisoning will usually vanish fairly quickly when you are breathing fresh air again. So be sure to pay close attention to the location and the amount of time your headaches are occurring.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]2. Weakness
Weakness is another common sign of carbon monoxide poisoning, and what causes the weakness is a little scary. As stated before, breathing carbon monoxide will cause the oxygen in your blood cells to be replaced with carbon monoxide. This causes the cells to begin to die. As the cells die in your muscles, you will find it more difficult to do the activities that you typically do. This can include walking, standing up, moving things around, and so on. So if you’re having difficulty completing tasks that you normally have no issues with, you may want to consider the possibility of a carbon monoxide leak in your vicinity.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]3. Dizziness
As your exposure to carbon monoxide increases, the symptoms will continue to worsen. The increased exposure causes what is known as “cardiac abnormalities.” One of which, is dizziness. There are many types of dizziness and you could feel either one of them. You may begin to notice that you feel dizzy upon standing or even when you’re sitting down. You could feel the room spinning or feel off balance. You could even begin to faint. Dizziness should never be ignored, especially if you’re feeling a combination of these symptoms. It is a sure sign that something is wrong. Dizziness is the beginning of the more severe aspects of carbon monoxide poisoning.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]4. Nausea or Vomiting
One of the reasons carbon monoxide poisoning is so dangerous is because a lot of its symptoms can trick you into thinking it’s something else. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, and headaches could just as easily be a cold rather than carbon monoxide poisoning, but there are key differences. If you’re starting to feel nauseous and vomit, you need to ask yourself why this could be happening. One very important thing to observe is whether or not you have a fever. Carbon monoxide poisoning does not cause fevers. So if you’re vomiting without a fever, it could very well be carbon monoxide you’re dealing with.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]5. Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath or rapid breathing will occur as the carbon monoxide continues to build up in your blood. Difficulty breathing can be terrifying and it’s most likely happening because your body is craving oxygen that it’s not able to consume. Once again, this can be confused with the flu, so it’s important to observe if you have other flu-like symptoms or just the symptoms that have been on this list. It’s also important to notice if other people in your vicinity are having similar symptoms. If so, there is a high chance that carbon monoxide is in the area. This symptom coupled with the others can be very dangerous and can lead to other, more serious, complications.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]6. Confusion
Confusion is possibly the most well-known symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning. Your brain requires oxygen to function. So, as you are getting less and less oxygen to your brain, some of its functions will begin to fail. You may find yourself forgetting why you entered a room or forgetting a drink that you just poured for yourself. Forgetting simple things like this are a common occurrence, but having them happen over and over again is not. There was a popular example of this confusion involving a man who thought someone was breaking into his house to leave notes reminding him to do household chores. It sounds ridiculous, but as it turned out, there was a carbon monoxide leak in his house and he was leaving the notes for himself. The carbon monoxide poisoning made him forget that he was leaving the notes.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]7. Blurred Vision
Another major issue that carbon monoxide could cause is blurred vision. This occurs in the more severe cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. As your exposure to carbon monoxide increases, your brain will be getting more damaged. The lack of oxygen in your brain will continue to cause increasingly detrimental issues. These vision issues are incredibly dangerous. The blurred you could experience vision is a physical symptom that is definitely noticeable. It is a sure sign that you have been exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. If you notice your vision fading or blurring, especially alongside the other symptoms, you should vacate the area and find medical attention as soon as possible.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]8. Loss of Consciousness
Loss of consciousness will more than likely be the final symptom you experience. If you’re getting tunnel vision or even get the slightest sensation that you may pass out, you need to get out of that area as soon as possible. If you lose consciousness in an area that has a high concentration of carbon monoxide, chances are you will die. This is why it is incredible important that you can recognize carbon monoxide poisoning before it reaches this point. If you lose consciousness, your body will continue to breathe in the carbon monoxide causing even more cell death and eventually it will lead to death.
