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Is it just and ordinary headache,

or are you experiencing symptoms that are commonly misdiagnosed?

Case vignettes:

A 39-year-old woman has for several months, experienced fatigue, headaches and memory lapses. After visiting multiple specialists no diagnosis had been made.
A 10 year old boy complaining of chroinic migraines sees multiple doctors who recommended darkening his bedroom to lessen light exposure.
A 33 year old woman began having headaches and feeling very tired. Her two children occasionally awoke in the morning with headaches, dizziness, and nausea. They believed that all had a touch of the flu or had eaten bad food. However, visits to the doctor revealed nothing was wrong.

Even if you have a good quality carbon monoxide detector in your home, your family may be exposed to a low level carbon monoxide leak that can cause headaches, chronic fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, and a range of other symptoms that your doctors may find hard to diagnose. In each of the case studies above the problems originated from faulty heating system and appliances. The medical evidence is clear, these symptoms are often misdiagnosed as "just sometime going around" when in reality they can be signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. At levels that will not trigger your standard home carbon monoxide detector, you may have enough carbon monoxide present in your home to make you sick.

The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Journal of Medical Case Reports all state the importance of educating doctors and the public that exposure to low-levels of carbon monoxide can cause illness.

Prevention is the key to avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning. Please download the Carbon Monoxide Safety & Prevention brochure for information on how you can protect your family.

One thing we strongly encourage is getting a free or low-cost home energy audit from a qualified professional. Not only will an auditor be able to generate a report detailing how efficiency upgrades can save you money on heating and cooling costs, but the audit requires a safety check of your home’s fuel-burning appliances which includes a carbon monoxide test. To arrange for an energy audit of your home, please start here: (link to www.longislandgreenhomes.org)

Download a copy of the Long Island Carbon Monoxide Safety & Prevention brochure

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Our Vision:
To catalyze Long Island to become a national leader in developing, promoting, and implementing sustainable solutions to environmental and quality of life challenges.

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January is Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month

Carbon Monoxide Safety and Awareness Tips

Always Do

Install a UL certified battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. Remember that CO detectors do not serve as smoke detectors and vice versa.
Carefully follow manufacturers’ instructions for placement, use and maintenance.
Have a high standard CO detector fitted outside sleeping areas, and main living areas on each level of the home.
If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911. Digital models offer the advantage of being able to observe levels that are below the alarm threshold.
Recognize symptoms and seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning.
Adhere to manufacturers instructions when using appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters; engine-powered

Regularly Do

Have a qualified technician fuel-burning appliances and chimneys at the beginning of each heating season to make sure they are operating properly.
Have your vents and chimney checked and cleaned annually.
Have a energy audit of your home done every five to ten years – not only will it identify carbon monoxide leaks (even at low levels,) but an audit can also lower your utility bills by identifying was of improving your home’s energy performance. Visit longislandgreenhomes.org for more information.

Never Do

Never use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, garage or outside near a window.
Never run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
Never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented.
Never heat your house with a gas stove or oven.
Never sleep in a room with an un-vented gas or kerosene space heater.

Relevant Websites:

www.longislandgreenhomes.org www.ohili.org www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html

www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm www.silentshadow.org

Download a copy of the Long Island Carbon Monoxide Safety & Prevention brochure

Sustainability Institute at Molloy College

7180 Republic Airport - Farmingdale, NY 11735 - 516-323-5410

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net & Marin