Carbon monoxide, also CO, occurs as an odorless, colorless gas when a fossil fuel is burned. In many cases, it can cause sudden illness and death. Water heaters, furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, gas stoves, and ovens can all give off carbon monoxide in a home.

So, what should you do to reduce your chances of exposure? Carbon monoxide detectors are a good first step in protecting yourself. Every floor, including basements, should have a CO detector. Many community programs offer free CO detectors at local fire departments.

CO is lighter than air and rises with warm air. Detectors should be placed five feet above the floor or roughly at eye level. Placing one within 10 feet of each bedroom door and near or over an attached garage is recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

You can also put them on the ceiling. Test your detectors weekly and replace any batteries every six months, making sure to replace CO detectors every five to six years. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers some valuable advice to reduce carbon monoxide in your home.

Though tempting, avoid running your vehicle inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open. Burning anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented and heating your home with a gas oven are two more things to avoid.

Place all generators, pressure washers, or gasoline-powered engines no more than 20 feet from windows, doors, or vents. Yearly maintenance of all the appliances in your home that have the potential of giving off CO will also help reduce exposure.

According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.”

Placing CO detectors in your home and having your appliances professionally serviced are simple but crucial steps in ensuring your health and safety. Here are some more recommendations from the CDC:

• Do not use portable flameless chemical heaters indoors.

• If you smell an odor from your gas refrigerator, have an expert service it. An odor from your gas refrigerator can mean it could be leaking CO.

• When you buy gas equipment, buy only equipment carrying the seal of a national testing agency, such as Underwriters’ Laboratories.

• Make sure your gas appliances are vented properly. Horizontal vent pipes such as water heaters should go up slightly to help guide them outside. This prevents CO from leaking if the joints or pipes aren’t fitted tightly.

• Have your chimney checked or cleaned every year. Chimneys can be blocked by debris. This can cause CO to build up inside your home or cabin.

• Never patch a vent pipe with tape, gum, or something else. This kind of patch can make CO build up in your home, cabin, or camper.

• Never burn charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal – red, gray, black, or white – gives off CO.

• Never use a portable gas camp stove indoors. Using a gas camp stove indoors can cause CO to build up inside your home, cabin, or camper.

• Never use a generator inside your home, basement, or garage

• When using a generator, use a battery-powered or batterybackup CO detector in your home.

To learn more visit: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/whereshould i-place-carbon-monoxidedetector or https://www.epa.gov/ indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-aboutcarbon monoxide-detectors.