Carbon monoxide and video games
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The bottom line
Shortly after a hurricane in Texas, 75% of children treated for carbon monoxide poisoning had been playing video games powered by emergency generators. Remember: any time an emergency generator is used, it must be used outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, away from windows and doors into the home.
Prevention Tips
Any time an emergency generator is used, it must be used outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, away from windows and doors into the home.
Do not use stoves, ovens, or propane heaters as indoor heat sources.
Battery-powered CO alarms will function during a power outage; there should be one outside every sleeping area in the home.
Check and replace the batteries in your CO alarms regularly.
During a power outage, check on neighbors and relatives who might be using an emergency generator.
This Really Happened
In August 2008, Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast and advanced to Houston and beyond. Almost 2 million customers, 95% of all public utility customers in the region, were without power in 11 South Texas counties. Thirty-seven people exposed to carbon monoxide from gasoline-powered electrical generators were taken to Houston-area hospitals in the first 36 hours after the hurricane struck. Most of the generators were operated in garages attached to homes. Among the 9 incidents where the reason for generator use was determined, 5 were being used to power video games and 1 to watch movies or power a television. The 5 incidents in which generators were powering video games resulted in 75% (15 of 20) of the pediatric carbon monoxide poisonings (from Fife et al., 2009).
Emergency generators were the cause of almost all carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Katrina. However, in those cases, they were used to power home air conditioners or for food refrigeration.
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Carbon monoxide and video games: What’s the link?
Emergency generators are used during many kinds of power outages, including hurricanes, snow and ice storms, and damaged power lines. Most people use emergency generators to heat their homes, provide power for cooking and keeping food cold, and receive updates.
However, over the last few decades, a new use for emergency generators has emerged: keeping video games and televisions operational during power outages. Shortly after a hurricane in Texas, 75 percent of children treated for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning had been playing video games powered by emergency generators. Several of these children were critically ill, needing treatment in a hyperbaric chamber to treat their poisoning.
Beyond video games
An ice storm in Kentucky resulted in widespread power outages. Ten deaths were caused by CO poisoning; 8 of the deaths were attributed to inappropriate emergency generator location.
What’s more, a study of power outages in New York found that a 4-hour outage increased the risk of a child developing CO poisoning by 50–150%. The risk of developing CO poisoning was greater in urban areas than rural areas.
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
If you burn any carbon-containing fuel (including gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or wood), CO gas will be released. If an emergency generator is set up indoors, outdoors under a window or near a door, in an attached garage, or in any enclosed space, anyone around it will breathe in carbon monoxide.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide takes the place of oxygen in the blood. It circulates to the brain, heart, and every other organ with every heartbeat. At low concentrations, carbon monoxide poisoning causes headache, drowsiness, and flu-like symptoms, but without a fever. At higher concentrations, symptoms may include chest pain, seizures, coma, and death.
How to detect carbon monoxide in your home
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless. The only way to detect it in your home is by installing CO alarms. A battery-powered CO alarm will still function during a power outage; there should be one outside every sleeping area in the home.
Using emergency generators safely
Carbon monoxide poisoning from emergency generators is such a health threat that warning labels are required on the generators to alert consumers that "Using a generator indoors CAN KILL YOU IN MINUTES." Any time an emergency generator is used, it must be used outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, away from windows and doors into the home. Recommendations for generator placement vary from 7 to 20 feet away from any home (yours or a neighbor’s). Like any machine, emergency generators should be regularly inspected and serviced by a qualified maintenance person.
Suspect carbon monoxide poisoning?
If you suspect CO poisoning, immediately go outside. Then, call your poison center at 1-800-222-1222 for treatment advice. If someone is not breathing, won't wake up, or is having seizures, call 911 immediately.