Change your clocks, and change your batteries! Polk County Public Health and Norman-Mahnomen Public Health encourage community members to change their smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detector batteries when turning ahead of the clock on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Smoke and CO detectors save lives every day, but many families do not check their detectors routinely. Remember, having one and not checking it or replacing it in a timely fashion puts your family at risk.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless and colorless gas that often goes undetected in homes. CO poisoning occurs when the gas builds up in your home, fish house, garage, or cabin/boat. Sources of CO include furnaces/boilers, gas stoves, fireplaces (BOTH wood and gas burning), water heaters, clothes dryers, wood stoves, power generators, motor vehicles, and power tools/lawn equipment. Recreational sources are camp stoves, grills, lanterns, boats, heaters, and generators.
Since CO is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, it can be hard to tell if there is CO buildup. Initial symptoms of CO poisoning resemble the flu, such as headache and shortness of breath that worsen with continued exposure. Symptoms progress to severe headache, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea, then confusion, irritability, impaired judgment, and coordination culminating in the loss of consciousness.
CO detectors save lives, but like many other things, they have an expiration date. Most CO detectors are good for an average of 5-7 years. Check your product packaging or go online to check the manufacturer’s website to determine how long the CO detector is safe to use. Remember, many plug-in detectors also have a battery backup, be sure to check your detector and replace the battery.
Polk County Public Health and Norman-Mahnomen Public Health offer Healthy Homes Assessments, a health and safety assessment of a home completed by a trained nurse. This service is provided free of charge for residents of Polk, Norman, or Mahnomen County and includes privately owned or rental homes. For more information, please contact Polk County Public Health at 218-281-3385 or Norman Mahnomen Public Health at 218-280-3125.
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