By Maya Meinert
Special to the Daily Press

CITYWIDE — With the cold winter air finally arriving in Santa Monica this holiday season, many will choose to stay inside and get cozy.

But don’t get too cozy — your heat source could make you sick, or worse.

Carbon monoxide poisoning kills almost 500 people and sends another 15,200 to hospitals each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and toxic gas, can come from fuel-burning machines, such as gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces and fireplaces, and motor vehicles, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

That means your home’s gas-fired heater could produce carbon monoxide if it’s not properly maintained or vented. Even heat sources outside your home could produce the gas in harmful amounts.

“Self-contained fire pits might [burn] under the overhang of a patio deck, and the [carbon] monoxide builds up and seeps through your windows,” said Santa Monica Assistant Fire Marshal Joe Paneno. “You have to be very cautious.”

Paneno said that incomplete combustion is what produces carbon monoxide.

“Probably the most obvious [culprit] is having warming fires in a confined room,” he said. “Isolated heating units — [those without] forced air — their ventilation system will be clogged, so all the [carbon] monoxide will emit into the room and back up, which is not uncommon. We do get these cases every now and then. It’s a sad state when those things happen.”

The last time Santa Monica had a carbon monoxide fatality was about two years ago, according to Paneno. The heating unit in the person’s apartment had not been properly maintained.

Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms are flu-like and include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue.

While there have been no reports of Santa Monica residents being overcome by carbon monoxide, there have been two recent Los Angeles-area incidents. Earlier this week, two Long Beach women used a barbecue to heat their home, and a Pomona family was poisoned by a faulty furnace, according to the Associated Press.

No one died in either case, and all parties are expected to make a full recovery.

A WARM WARNING

To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, the Fire Administration advises people not to use stoves or ranges to heat homes, and people should not use a barbecue of any kind inside. Never keep a car running in a garage — even with the garage door open, there will not be enough fresh air to prevent dangerous carbon monoxide buildup.

Paneno also recommends having a licensed professional maintain all heating and ventilation systems.

“Any type of gas-fired appliance should be maintained properly, should be cleaned [and] should be unobstructed,” he said.

A carbon monoxide detector, which works much like a smoke detector, could help save a life. The Fire Administration recommends installing one with an audible alarm near sleeping areas and outside bedrooms.

“I love those types of devices,” Paneno said. “When people are sleeping, they’re not thinking about it. [Carbon monoxide detectors] do all the worrying for you.”

If you have such a detector and its alarm goes off, what you do next depends on whether you or a family member feels ill, according to the Fire Administration. If no one is feeling sick, turn off all heat sources, and open windows and doors to ventilate. If someone is feeling ill, then evacuate immediately and call 9-1-1. Do not re-enter the building.

“Only 35 percent of homeowners have a carbon monoxide detector in their home — leaving more than half of families exposed to this silent killer,” said Meredith K. Appy, president of the Home Safety Council, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing home related injuries, in a press release.

For more information on carbon monoxide, go to the Santa Monica Fire Department’s Web site at www.santamonicafire.org or to the U.S. Fire Administration’s site at www.usfa.dhs.gov.

news@smdp.com