Doctor warns about dangers of generators due to carbon monoxide poisoning

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Storms swept through the ArkLaTex early morning on June 16, leaving over 200,000 people without power. As a result, many people began to rely on a generator in the meantime.

As generators fly off the shelves in stores, Dr. Steven Kitchings, the director Willis Knighton’s Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center, spoke to KSLA to give tips on how to keep people safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hyperbaric medicine is a medical treatment that delivers 100% oxygen to a patient’s tissues in a higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. The continuously monitored therapy is delivered in a special pressurized chamber. It is frequently used to help against carbon monoxide poisoning.

“If you are purchasing generators, the number one number one rule is, do not run them in your house. That is a for sure way to get carbon monoxide poisoning,” he explained. “Don’t put them in any enclosed space close to your house like a back porch, side porch [or] front porch. You want it at least 20 feet away from the house. And you don’t want it around anything that could bring exhaust into the house like a fan.”

Some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Shortness of breath

Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to death if you don’t seek treatment immediately.

ANGELIA ALLEN

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