Carbon monoxide poisoning: symptoms and first aid

Call 112 first; the emergency department provides the first treatment. For follow-up afterwards: Internal Medicine.

Common symptoms: headache; nausea and vomiting; dizziness, light-headedness and weakness; confusion and drowsiness; similar symptoms in more than one person or in pets in the same home; symptoms easing after leaving the house. Symptoms vary from person to person; a doctor’s examination is needed for a diagnosis.

Do not light a barbecue or grill indoors. Do not leave the stove door and ash pan open at night; do not add coal to a burning stove before going to bed. Do not shower using a gas water heater in a closed, unventilated bathroom.

The most common causes: poorly maintained stoves or blocked chimneys; gas water heaters in unventilated bathrooms; a faulty boiler; using a barbecue, grill or generator indoors. Only a doctor’s examination can determine the exact cause.

Immediately open doors and windows and get everyone outside into fresh air. Call 112. If possible, turn off the stove, water heater or boiler, but do not put yourself in danger. If someone is unconscious but breathing, turn them on their side.

Headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness and drowsiness; it typically affects more than one person in the same home. Open the windows, get outside and call 112 immediately.

Yes. In homes with a stove, gas water heater or boiler, a carbon monoxide detector saves lives.

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, call 112 without delay: “Do others in the same place also have a headache or nausea?” “Is a stove, gas water heater, boiler or barbecue burning?” “Is there confusion or difficulty waking someone?” “Is there confusion, fainting or difficulty waking up?” “Is there facial drooping, slurred speech or sudden weakness in an arm or leg?” “Are you struggling to breathe even at rest?”

See a doctor: everyone exposed to carbon monoxide, especially pregnant women and children, should be assessed at a health facility even if they feel better.