CO Topics

Boating

Michigan is the Great Lakes State, where there are many opportunities for fun on the water. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that can be a danger while boating. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

CO is present wherever fuel is burned like a running engine or portable generator. CO can collect and build up on and around a boat, leading to CO poisoning. It is important to know CO dangers when you are underway, moored or anchored.

Camping

Camping is a favorite pastime for many Michiganders from parks to music festivals to wilderness areas. Camping often requires fuel-burning items like portable generators, heaters, camp stoves and campfires, which release CO. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

CO can build up in enclosed and partially enclosed areas, like tents, canopies, campers, RVs and trailers, leading to CO poisoning.

Festivals, Fairs, and Other Gatherings

Michigan hosts many types of gatherings from music festivals to county fairs to parades to outdoor markets. These events often require the use of fuel-burning equipment, like portable generators and vehicles. All fuel-burning items, like vehicles, portable generators and grills give off a poisonous gas called CO. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in. CO can build up in enclosed and partially enclosed areas, like canopies, campers and vehicle, leading to CO poisoning.

Food Trucks

Did you know that the areas around food trucks can have high levels of CO, a poisonous gas? You cannot see, smell or taste CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

Anything fuel-burning, like idling food trucks and running portable generators, produce CO. One portable generator produces hundreds of times more CO than one car. CO can build up in enclosed and partially enclosed areas, like food trucks, campers and canopies, leading to CO poisoning.

Generators

Portable generators are popular with Michigan homeowners, campers and hunters. Fuel-burning portable generators are convenient, but they can also be dangerous, since they give off CO, a poisonous gas. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in. One portable generator produces hundreds of times more CO than one car.

CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, like your home, garage or shed, leading to CO poisoning. It is important to use portable generators at least 20 feet away from people, structures and enclosed or partially enclosed spaces to reduce your risk of CO poisoning.

Home

Most CO poisonings take place at home due to fuel-burning equipment, like furnaces, water heaters, running vehicles and portable generators. CO is a poisonous gas you cannot see, taste or smell, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, like your home, garage or shed, leading to CO poisoning. It is important to protect yourself and your loved ones against CO poisoning at home.

Ice Fishing

Ice fishing is a fun way to enjoy the outside during winter, but some of the equipment used during ice fishing increases your risk of CO poisoning. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it is a poisonous gas that can be deadly when you breathe it in.

All fuel-burning appliances and equipment, including portable generators and heaters, release CO. CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces like ice houses or shanties, leading to CO poisoning.

Power Outages

Cases of CO poisoning increase during power outages. The main causes are increased and improper use of fuel-burning appliances and equipment, including portable generators. CO is a poisonous gas that you cannot see, taste or smell, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

One portable generator produces hundreds of times more CO than one car. CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, like homes, garages, carports, basements and porches, leading to CO poisoning. It is important to use anything fuel-burning during power outages safely to reduce your risk of CO poisoning.

Tailgating

During tailgating, vehicles and portable generators may be used closed together near many people. Anything fuel-burning, including vehicles and portable generators, release CO. You cannot see, taste or smell CO, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in. 

One portable generator can produce hundreds of times more carbon monoxide (CO) than one car. Remember that CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, like campers, vehicles and canopies leading to CO poisoning.

Vehicles

CO in vehicle exhaust is one of the most common causes of carbon monoxide poisoning. CO is a poisonous gas you cannot see, taste or smell, but it can be deadly when you breathe it in.

CO is formed when carbon-based fuels, like gasoline and diesel, are burned. Any time a fuel-burning vehicle like a car, truck, tractor, forklift or RV is running, CO is present in the exhaust. CO can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed areas, leading to CO poisoning.

Work

Working with or around fuel-burning tools and equipment, including vehicles, increases risk of CO poisoning. All fuel-burning devices release CO, a poisonous gas you cannot see, taste or smell. CO can be deadly when you breathe it in.

CO can build up in enclosed and partially enclosed spaces, like garages, construction sites, tented areas and warehouse, leading to CO poisoning.