NUMC’s Dr. Politi Advises: Carbon Monoxide Alarms are a Must-Have Safety Tool for Every Home
Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO Chairman Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2016
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
East Meadow, NY……….Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP, NuHealth/NUMC’s President/CEO, indicates that carbon monoxide can’t be seen, smelled, or heard, yet it kills more than 400 people each year in the U.S. and sickens thousands more. If our senses can’t detect it, how can we protect ourselves and our loved ones from this “invisible killer”? Installing an alarm is the only way to know if there is carbon monoxide in your home.
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurs when too much of this gas builds up in your body due to unsafe levels of CO in the air you breathe. Almost anything that burns fuel releases this deadly gas, including furnaces, water heaters, gas stoves, fireplaces, charcoal grills, space heaters, generators, and cars. Most of the time, CO is safely vented out of your home, but misusing or not maintaining these sources can lead to unsafe levels of CO gas in the air. Children are especially at risk. Because their bodies process CO differently, children can get sick faster than adults, making an alarm a necessary safety tool for any household with children.
Nassau University Medical Center, a member of the Prevent Child Injury Network, is encouraging everyone to install CO alarms in their homes. “Carbon monoxide poisoning is completely preventable. Just as smoke alarms alert us to the dangers of fire, CO alarms will let us know when the air isn’t safe to breathe because of carbon monoxide, stated Dr. Politi “Carbon monoxide poisoning looks a lot like the flu—headache, dizziness, and upset stomach—but does not come with a fever. If someone in your home is showing these symptoms, it might be carbon monoxide poisoning, especially if more than one person has symptoms.”
Remember: An alarm is the only way to know if there are dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. If you do not have CO alarms, install them today.
· Carbon monoxide alarms are not the same as smoke alarms. You need to have both CO and smoke alarms in your home.
· Put a CO alarm on every level in your home and near every sleeping area.
· Choose an alarm that plugs into an electrical outlet and has a battery back-up. Install the battery in every alarm.
· Test your alarms monthly to make sure they work. Replace the batteries every year.
· Never ignore a beeping CO alarm. Teach your children how to respond if the alarm goes off: get out of the house right away and call 911.
Prevent Child Injury is a national group of organizations and individuals, including researchers, health professionals, educators, and child advocates, working together to prevent injuries to children and adolescents in the U.S. Prevent Child Injury promotes coordinated communication to the public about prevention of child injury, which is the leading cause of death of our nation’s youth. To become a member of Prevent Child Injury or for more information and resources on this and other child injury topics, please visit www.preventchildinjury.org.
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.