Change Smoke and CO Alarm Batteries at Daylight Saving Time
When you change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time, be sure to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. Health officials say Daylight Saving Time is a great way to remember to change the batteries in these life-saving devices. If you forgot to do it yesterday, it’s not too late.
Each year about 50,000 people are treated for accidental CO poisoning and 430 die. And three of every five home fire deaths occur in residences where there were no functioning smoke detectors.
CO is an invisible, odorless gas found in the fumes of combustion engines in vehicles and generators and furnaces, appliances, lanterns and charcoal or wood fires. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a gas-powered generator can produce 100 times the amount of CO that a car produces.
Symptoms of CO poisoning include:
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness, or feeling faint
- Weakness
Anyone who develops these symptoms should get outside into fresh air immediately, then seek medical care.
Reduce Your Risk of CO Poisoning
Here are the CDC’s tips to reduce your risk of CO poisoning:
- Install a CO detector and change batteries regularly.
- Go outside and call 911 if your CO alarm goes off.
- Hire professionals to install appliances.
- Don’t run a car or truck inside an attached garage, even with the door open.
- Don’t use your gas oven to heat your house.
