Carbon Monoxide:

1
Carbon Monoxide Poisonings and Deaths New
Mexico Wing Civil Air Patrol Safety
Briefing January 2009 / 2010
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
2
Safety Briefing Requirements for ALL

• CAPR 62-1 (3d) CAP Safety Responsibilities and
  Procedures
• All CAP members must obtain a monthly 15 minute
  face-to-face briefing (or Make-up) before they
  may participate in any CAP activity (including
  unit meetings).

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
3
To NM Wing Staff Upon completion of this
briefing, send an email stating Subject
January Wing Safety Briefing January Carbon
monoxide Dangers briefing reviewed and
completed to Judy.Candelaria_at_kirtland.af.mil (ot
herwise, send email notification to your
Squadron Safety Officer)
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
4
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
What is CO (carbon monoxide) ?

• CO (carbon monoxide) is a gas that is
• Colorless
• Tasteless
• Odorless
• Produced from incomplete combustion in a fuel
  burning device
• CO can kill you and you wont even know you died!!

C O
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
5
Carbon Monoxide
6
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
Where can you find CO?

• CO (carbon monoxide) can be found almost
  everywhere
• At home
• At work / office / school
• Automobiles
• Recreation generators or stoves
• Aircraft in flight

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
7
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
Where can you find CO?

• CO (carbon monoxide) can be found almost
  everywhere
• At home
• At work / office / school
• Automobiles
• Recreation generators or stoves
• Aircraft in flight

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
8
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
15,000 visits / year to Hospital ER 500
unintentional deaths / year Most frequent in
JANUARY (then December)
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
9
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
CO prevents oxygen from attaching to the
hemoglobin molecule in your blood Oxygen cannot
be delivered to the brain and other tissues
SYMPTOMS Confusion, hallucinations, headache,
nausea, fatigue, dizziness, palpitations,
seizures COMA and DEATH
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
10
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
Typical Scenario
You are relaxing home with the family on a cold
January evening Everyone in the family is
feeling sick with either a headache, or nausea,
or dizziness, or tiredness -- could it be the
flu? Unbeknownst to you, your 12 year old
furnace is putting out 400 ppm of CO from a
cracked firebox. And you are poisoned!
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
11
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
Another scenario
You and your copilot have been flying highbird
for 2.5 hours The pilot is getting nauseated
hmmm . . . . . thats unusual The copilot has a
splitting headache
Unbeknownst to both, a cracked manifold is
leaking CO into the cabin via the heater. And
you are poisoned!
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
12
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
Prevention of poisoning
BE AWARE of CO poisoning! (free) Get a Home
Carbon Monoxide detector (with good
batteries!) 50 Get an Aircraft CO detector
(5)
Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
13
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
TREATMENT of poisoning

• Get away for the source
• leave the house, land the airplane, get some
  fresh air
• Severe Hospitalization and adminsitration of
  100 oxygen
• Fix the source !

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
14
Carbon Monoxide Dangers
FIX THE SOURCE

• If you suspect CO poisoning . . . . . . .
• --Call the local gas company and have them check
  your furnace, hot water heater, wood stove, etc.
  Replace the defective item.
• --Ground the airplane until the manifold leak is
  repaired.

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing
15
Carbon Monoxide Dangers

• Questions?
• Personal experiences?
• Reference
• http//www.carbonmonoxidekills.com

Joseph R. Perea, MD, Maj CAP NM Wing Director of
Safety
January Safety Briefing