How often do people in Texas die of carbon monoxide poisoning? Here’s how to prevent it

Six Fort Worth residents, including five children, were hospitalized in critical condition Monday night for carbon monoxide poisoning. Firefighters found them passed out while a car was left running in the garage of their home.

You cannot see, taste or smell the “silent killer.” Yet carbon monoxide causes the most nondrug poisoning deaths, killing more than 400 Americans each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how often situations like this happen in Texas, and what can you do to prevent them from occurring.

How common is carbon monoxide poisoning in Texas?

The 2021 winter storm resulted in the largest carbon monoxide poisoning event in recent U.S. history, an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News found. At least 17 people were killed by the gas and more than 1,400 were hospitalized. Residents had used their cars and brought grills and portable generators inside to stay warm when the power went out, but because Texas doesn’t require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they weren’t warned that they were being poisoned.

Two years later, in February, the Texas Department of State Health Services urged residents during another winter storm causing power outages to use extreme caution with electric generators and heat sources to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

How to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning at home

• Install a carbon monoxide detector: Households equipped with a furnace, boiler, water heater, fireplace or emergency generator that burns natural gas, fuel oil, coal or wood should have a carbon monoxide detector installed, says the Texas Poison Center Network. They are available at local hardware and big box stores. Install one alarm per floor of your home close to sleeping areas. Alarms that plug into the wall with a battery back-up system are preferable.

• Get your heating system inspected: This should be done annually by a qualified professional before it is turned on in the fall.

• Make sure alternative heating sources work: Alternative heating sources like space heaters or wood stoves should be checked to ensure they are operating safely and are being used properly.

• Always run gas-powered generators in open spaces: Make sure they are far away from air conditioning units and other air intake vents. Only use them outdoors, more than 20 feet away from open doors or windows, says the Texas Department of Insurance.

• Never use the gas range or oven for heating.

• Never burn coal or use charcoal in a closed space.

• Never leave a car engine running in a closed garage.

Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms are similar to that of the flu

• Headache

• Nausea

• Redness of the skin

• Dizziness

• Confusion

• Loss of consciousness.

If you suspect someone is suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, get them in fresh air and call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 or call 911 if they are unconscious.