ZFD warns about the dangers of carbon monoxide

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- It’s going to be another dangerously cold night and that means it will be uncomfortable for some and could be deadly for others.

The Zanesville Fire Department wants to warn you about the dangers of carbon monoxide. Lieutenant Jeff Bell said this tasteless and odorless gas kills about 500 people in the U.S. every year and hospitalizes about 4,000.

“It takes the place of oxygen in your body,” Bell said. “It’s a product of incomplete combustion.”

Bell recommends purchasing a carbon monoxide detector. Should your detector go off. Evacuate and call the fire department immediately.

“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often described as flu like symptoms. You can have headaches nausea and kind of an altered mental status,” Bell said.

“Some of the things to look for, is everybody in the house is feeling those same symptoms. You know the headaches. If you feel better when you’re outside the home. When you come back [do] those same symptoms come back,” Bell said.

Carbon monoxide detectors can be purchased at any area hardware store.