“Many of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to feelings of nausea, feelings of fatigue, headaches, and they can be often misconstrued and misinterpreted,” Nassau County Fire Marshall Assistant Chief Michael Uttaro said.
Anna Faris had a close call over the Thanksgiving holiday when a house she rented with her family and friends had six times a healthy carbon monoxide limit inside, even with the windows open.
Assistant Chief Michael Uttaro of the Nassau County Fire Marshall’s office in New York said the Faris incident should be a warning to us all.
“Many of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to feelings of nausea, feelings of fatigue, headaches, and they can be often misconstrued and misinterpreted,” Uttaro told Inside Edition.
Below is a rundown of everything you need to know about carbon monoxide and what you should do if you come into contact with the gas.
What is carbon monoxide?
It’s an odorless, colorless gas that can be potentially fatal when someone is exposed to large amounts of it. It’s usually produced when someone burns fuel in vehicles, stoves, grills, furnaces, etc.
What are some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
According to the CDC, symptoms can include: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. It can kill a person who breaths too much of it, as it builds up in the bloodstream.
How prevent carbon monoxide poisoning be prevented?
The number one thing is to make sure wherever you stay has a working carbon monoxide detector. When going on vacation, Uttaro suggests bringing a portable one and placing one on each floor.
Other suggestions from the CDC include: not using generators in your home, pay attention to the smell of gas in the home, make sure gas appliances are being serviced each year, never patch a vent pipe, never use a gas stove to heat a space, don't sit in idling car for extended periods of time, and don’t burn charcoal indoors, among other things.
What to do if you have been exposed?
Get out of the place where you’ve been exposed and seek medical care immediately.
A Close Call
It took a medical trip for Faris and her loved ones to realize they were in danger.
The 43-year-old actress was renting a vacation house in Lake Tahoe, California, for the holiday when all thirteen guests in the house began feeling sick. Two of them went to the hospital because of how unwell they were, and when doctors tested them, carbon monoxide turned out to be the culprit.
The fire department was dispatched to the house to make sure the other 11 people still in the house were healthy. The home didn’t have carbon monoxide alarms, according to officials.
Faris took to Twitter after the incident to say thank you to the fire department for saving them.
“I’m not quite sure how to express gratitude to the North Lake Tahoe Fire Department,” she wrote. “We were saved from carbon monoxide. It’s a stupidly dramatic story but I’m feeling very fortunate.”
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