An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality
Pollutants and Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
- Asbestos
- Biological Pollutants
- Carbon Monoxide
- Formaldehyde/Pressed Wood Products
- Household Cleaning and Maintenance, Personal Care, or Hobbies
- Lead
- Nitrogen Dioxide
- Pesticides
- Radon
- Respirable Particles
- Secondhand Smoke/Environmental Tobacco Smoke
- Stoves, Heaters, Fireplaces, and Chimneys
Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Information for Older Adults and Their Caregivers New factsheet available (PDF)
Read "The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality"
Get the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files linked on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.
Contents
- Definition
- Sources of Carbon Monoxide
- Health Effects Associated with Carbon Monoxide
- Levels in Homes
- Steps to Reduce Exposure to Carbon Monoxide
- Measurement Methods
- Standards or Guidelines
- Additional Resources
- Links to Additional
Information
- Publications
- Publications/Documents from CPSC
Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke. Incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges and unvented gas or kerosene heaters may cause high concentrations of CO in indoor air. Worn or poorly adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces) can be significant sources, or if the flue is improperly sized, blocked, disconnected, or is leaking. Auto, truck, or bus exhaust from attached garages, nearby roads, or parking areas can also be a source.
Health Effects Associated with Carbon Monoxide
At low concentrations, fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease. At higher concentrations, impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; confusion; nausea. Can cause flu-like symptoms that clear up after leaving home. Fatal at very high concentrations. Acute effects are due to the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, which inhibits oxygen intake. At moderate concentrations, angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function may result. At higher concentrations, CO exposure can be fatal.
Average levels in homes without gas stoves vary from 0.5 to 5 parts per million (ppm). Levels near properly adjusted gas stoves are often 5 to 15 ppm and those near poorly adjusted stoves may be 30 ppm or higher.
ALERT: Put generators outside.
Never use a generator inside homes, garages, crawlspaces, sheds, or similar areas. Deadly levels of carbon monoxide can quickly build up in these areas and can linger for hours, even after the generator has shut off.
Steps to Reduce Exposure to Carbon Monoxide
It is most important to be sure combustion equipment is maintained and properly adjusted. Vehicular use should be carefully managed adjacent to buildings and in vocational programs. Additional ventilation can be used as a temporary measure when high levels of CO are expected for short periods of time.
- Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
- Consider purchasing a vented space heater when replacing an unvented one.
- Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
- Install and use an exhaust fan vented to outdoors over gas stoves.
- Open flues when fireplaces are in use.
- Choose properly sized wood stoves that are certified to meet EPA emission standards. Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.
- Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks promptly.
- Do not idle the car inside garage.
Some relatively high-cost infrared radiation adsorption and electrochemical instruments do exist. Moderately priced real-time measuring devices are also available. A passive monitor is currently under development.
No standards for CO have been agreed upon for indoor air. The U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards for outdoor air are 9 ppm (40,000 micrograms per meter cubed) for 8 hours, and 35 ppm for 1 hour.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. Consumer can obtain recall information at CPSC's web site - www.cpsc.gov Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov
Links to Additional Information
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation page - "CO - How Carbon Monoxide Affects the Way We Live and Breathe"
EPA's Office of Aging: New Factsheet: "Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Information for Older Adults and Their Caregivers" PDF
EPA's Office of Research and Development:
-
Carbon Monoxide and the Nervous System. Raub, J. A., and V. A.
Benignus. Carbon Monoxide and the Nervous System. NEUROSCIENCE AND
BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS 26(8):925-940, (2002).
-
Carbon Monoxide Poisoining - A Public Health Perspective. Raub,
J. A., M. Mathieunolf, N. B. Hampson, and S. R. Thom. Carbon Monoxide
Poinsoning--a Public Health Perspective. TOXICOLOGY (145):1-14, (2000).
- Revised Evaluation of Health Effects Associated With Carbon Monoxide Exposure: An Addendum to the 1979 EPA Air Quality Criteria Document for Carbon Monoxide Benignus, V., L. Grant, D. Mckee, and J. Raub. Revised Evaluation of Health Effects Associated With Carbon Monoxide Exposure: An Addendum to the 1979 EPA Air Quality Criteria Document for Carbon Monoxide. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/8-83/033F (NTIS PB85103471).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National Center for Environmental Health
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Fact Sheet - (offered in many languages) - www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC)
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20207
www.cpsc.gov
CPSC protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, you can go to CPSC's forms page - www.cpsc.gov/talk.html and use the first on-line form on that page. Or, you can call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or send the information to info@cpsc.gov.
- Carbon Monoxide
Questions and Answers (CPSC document #466)
- "Your Home Fire Safety Checklist" -
www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/556.html
- CPSC document #556
- Surviving the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina CPSC Warns of Deadly Post-Storm Dangers with Portable Generators, Candles and Wet Appliances - www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml05/05251.html August 31, 2005, CPSC Release #05-251
U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
U.S. Fire Administration, 16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Voice: (301) 447-1000 Fax: (301) 447-1346 Admissions Fax: (301) 447-1441
www.usfa.fema.gov
- Carbon Monoxide page - www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/co/
- Exposing an Invisible Killer: The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide - www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/co/fswy17.shtm
American Lung Association www.lungusa.org
- Fact Sheet on Carbon Monoxide HTML
Occupational Safety and Health Administration www.osha.gov
- Fact Sheet on Carbon Monoxide - www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/carbonmonoxide-factsheet.pdf
U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health
"Carbon Monoxide Poisoning" www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/carbonmonoxidepoisoning.html
About Carbon Monoxide Detectors
CPSC Recommends Carbon Monoxide Alarm for Every Home (January 18, 2001 CPSC Release # 01-069)
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that every home should have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. CPSC also urges consumers to have a professional inspection of all fuel- burning appliances -- including furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, clothes dryers, water heaters, and space heaters -- to detect deadly carbon monoxide leaks. CPSC recommends that every home should have at least one CO alarm that meets the requirements of the most recent Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 2034 standard or International Approval Services 6-96 standard. www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml01/01069.html
Product Safety Tips - Carbon Monoxide Alarms - www.ul.com/consumers/co.html Underwriters' Laboratory
"Your Home and Your Health" www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/index.cfm Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
"What You Need to Know about Carbon Monoxide Detectors" www.chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa092202a.htm About.com
Disposing of Smoke Detectors - www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/smoke_dispose.html - EPA's Radiation Protection Division
U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Carbon Monoxide Warning www.uscgboating.org/alerts/alertsview.aspx?id=8
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -Safety Alert.
Portable generators are useful when temporary or remote electric power is needed, but they also can be hazardous. The primary hazards to avoid when using a generator are carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the toxic engine exhaust, electric shock or electrocution, and fire.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/portgen.html
- Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Fire Administration's
Portable Generator Hazards page -
www.usfa.fema.gov/safety/co/generator.shtm
- Surviving the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina CPSC Warns of Deadly Post-Storm Dangers with Portable Generators, Candles and Wet Appliances, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, Washington, DC, August 31, 2005, Release #05-251
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml05/05251.html
- General CPSC publications list related to Home Heating Equipment - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/heatpubs.html
- ALERT!! Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Small Gasoline-Powered Engines and Tools. (1996)
This joint alert from NIOSH, CDPHE, CPSC, OSHA and EPA warns that people using gasoline-powered tools such as high-pressure washers, concrete cutting saws (walk-behind/hand-held), power trowels, floor buffers, welders, pumps, compressors, and generators in buildings or semi-enclosed spaces have been poisoned by Carbon Monoxide. Recommendations for preventing CO poisoning are provided for employers, equipment users, tool rental agencies, and tool manufacturers.
Single copies of the Alert [DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 96-118] are available for free from: Publication Dissemination, IED, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
fax number: (513) 533-8573, phone number: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
e-mail: pubstaft@niosdt1.em.cdc.gov
Protect Your Family and Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Discusses health hazards associated with exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas which can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, faintness, and, at high levels, death. Provides guidance on what to do if you think you are suffering from CO poisoning and what to do to prevent exposure to CO. Also included is a brief discussion about carbon monoxide detectors. The Carbon Monoxide fact sheet has also been translated into Vietnamese EPA 402-F-99-004C, Chinese EPA 402-F-99-004A, and Korean EPA 402-F-99-004B
- PDF Version (PDF, 2 pp, 65KB)
- EPA-402-F-96-005, October 1996
Proteja su vida y la de su familia: Evite el envenenamiento con monóxido de carbono
- PDF Version (PDF, 3 pp, 63KB)
- EPA 402-F-97-004
Publications/Documents from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Link to CPSC Indoor Air Quality Publications - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/iaq.html
The "Invisible" Killer (CPSC Document #464)
Prepared by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, this leaflet describes symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, sources of carbon monoxide in the home, and actions that can reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Link to PDF version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/464.pdf [En Español]
Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet (CPSC Document #466)
Discusses carbon monoxide (CO) hazards; and prevention and detection of dangerous CO levels.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html [En Español]
What You Should Know About Combustion Appliances and Indoor Air Pollution (CPSC Document #452)
This booklet answers some common questions you may have about the potential for one specific type of hazard - indoor air pollution - associated with one class of appliances - combustion appliances.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/452.html
Responding to Residential Carbon Monoxide Incidents , July 23, 2002 (CPSC Publication)
Guidelines for first responders to residential carbon monoxide incidents.
- Link to PDF version - www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia04/os/resident.pdf
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Camping Equipment (CPSC Document #5008)
Safety Alert: Discusses carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and explains how C0 can cause CO poisoning from camping equipment such as portable camping heaters, lanterns, stoves inside tents, campers and vehicles. Provides steps to take to prevent such poisonings and how to recognize the symptoms of CO poisoning.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5008.html
Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Save Lives (CPSC Document #5010)
Safety Alert: Discusses how (CO) detectors can save your life describes the symptoms of CO poisoning.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5010.html
Deaths From Burning Charcoal in Homes, Vehicles, and Tents (CPSC Document #5012)
Safety Alert: Discusses the hazards of carbon monoxide, which causes 25 deaths from carbon monoxide each year in these environments.
- Link to HTML version - www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5012.html