Rhinelander, WI- by Daily News Staff
After three people ended up hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning last week at a town of Pelican residence, the Oneida County Public Health Department is emphasizing prevention to prevent illness or death from the odorless, colorless gas.
According to Oneida County Sheriff’s Department dispatch information, the county’s dispatch center received a 911 call after 5 p.m. Wednesday about a possible carbon monoxide poisoning with two children and a female adult at a residence along Pine Crest Road.
The three were taken to a local hospital for initial treatment and then transferred to another hospital in the Appleton area.
County Public Health Department Assistant Director Chrystal Woller recommends that all residences be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors, which are relatively inexpensive and will sound when the dangerous gas is present.
In the event a detector would sound off in a home, Woller said it is important for people to exit immediately and call 911.
To keep the detectors functioning, she said batteries should be replaced regularly, such as when daylight-saving time begins and ends in the spring and fall.
Woller said carbon monoxide can be produced by various home heating sources, so she recommends having heating systems serviced annually by a qualified technician to insure heaters operate property, while fireplaces shouldn’t be used unless they are properly ventilated.
She said outside cooking grills shouldn’t be used inside because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
As for another source of carbon monoxide, motor vehicles, Woller recommends not warming up cars inside garages, even with the door open, but instead driving them outside to run in order to prevent carbon monoxide from accumulating inside.
She said symptoms of being affected by carbon monoxide can include headache, dizziness, weakness and confusion, with the gas also able to cause loss of consciousness and death.
Woller said it is important for someone affected by carbon monoxide poisoning to seek prompt medical attention.
She said the Public Health Department handles complaints involving possible carbon monoxide problems in housing units, such as if someone suspects the gas is posing a problem in an apartment complex.
Woller said anyone with questions about carbon monoxide is encouraged to call the Public Health Department at 369-6111.