Risky heating practices
Since September 2022, according to data from Poison centers, more than 70 people were poisoned following having wanted to heat their home with appliances not intended for this use: barbecues, charcoal stoves or braziers. More than half were hospitalized, some of whom had to be treated by administering oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber.
Outdoors, these devices still emit a small amount of carbon monoxide which disperses into the air. On the other hand, in a confined space, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the indoor air can quickly increase and endanger the people and animals present.
An odorless and very toxic gas
When emitted into a room, carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled. The first signs of poisoning are not specific to carbon monoxide: headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting. It is all the more necessary to think of carbon monoxide poisoning as several people in the same household experience these symptoms.
Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas. An intoxicated person can quickly lose consciousness and fall into a coma. Treatment consists of administering oxygen, in the most serious cases in a hyperbaric chamber at high pressure.
Key actions to avoid the risk of poisoning
- Ventilate your home regularly.
- To heat yourself inside your home, never use appliances that are not intended for this purpose: braziers, barbecues, embers or barbecue coals, coal stoves, cookers, generators. Mobile auxiliary heaters must not be used continuously.
- Have ducts and chimneys swept at least once a year.
- Before the heating season, have your installations checked (boiler, chimneys, water heater, pellet stoves, wood stoves, etc.) by a qualified professional.
- Do not place a generating set inside its housing.
What to do in case of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning?
- Ventilate the premises immediately, stop combustion appliances if possible and evacuate the premises.
- In the event of life-threatening signs (loss of consciousness), call the emergency services by dialing 15 or 112, or 114 for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- For other situations, call a Poison Control Center. They are reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
