Why power outages raise carbon monoxide poisoning risk

JOHN: CLIMATE CHANGE IS MAKING EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS LIKE WILDFIRES, FLOODS AND HURRICANES MORE FREQUENT AND SEVERE.

AND THERE CAN BE DEADLY SECONDARY EFFECT.

WE EXPLORE ONE THAT BECAME ESPECIALLY EVIDENT AFTER SOME OF THIS SEASON'S WORSE STORMS.

>> IT'S A GAS WITH NO ODOR, TASTE OR COLOR BUT IF NOT DETECTED, IT CAN BE DEADLY.

CARBON MONOXIDE IS RELEASED AFTER BURNING FUELS.

C.O.

POISONINGS ARE ON THE RISE AMID WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES FOLLOWING WIDESPREAD WEATHER EVENTS.

THE DEVASTATION THIS SUMMER'S HURRICANE BERYL HAD ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONINGS TEXAS.

LEXIE, WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE USE OF GENERATORS AND THE RISK OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING?

>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

THIS LINK IS SOMETHING THAT THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION HAS BEEN STUDYING FOR DECADES SO WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE KNOW NOW.

IN THE TIME THEY'VE BEEN STUDYING THIS CONNECTION THEY'VE FOUND THAT GENERATORS ACTUALLY LEAD TO ABOUT 70 DEATHS EVERY YEAR, WHICH MAKES PORTABLE GENERATORS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS DE VICES THAT CONSUMERS CAN BUY ON THE MARKET TODAY.

IN FACT, THE COMMISSION HAAS FOUND THAT NO OTHER DE VICE HAS KILLED AS MANY PEOPLE FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AS PORTABLE GENERATORS HAVE.

THE REASON WHY THEY'RE SO DANGEROUS IS BECAUSE THESE SOMETIMES VERY SMALL DE VICES, JUST ONE CAN EMIT AS MUCH CARBON MONOXIDE GAS AS HUNDREDINGS OF CARS CAN COMBINED.

SO MANY OF THEM ALSO DO NOT HAVE A SORT OF AUTOMATED SWITCH TO TURN OFF ONCE LEVELS BECOME DANGEROUS.

>> WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS INCREASE IN POISONING IF WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT THE RISKS FOR MANY DECADES?

>> WE KNOW FROM CLIMATE SCIENTIST THAT IS THESE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS ARE BECOMING MORE FREQUENT, LEADING TO WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES THAT CAN LAST WEEKS AND LEAVE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE HEAT.

TRYING TO STAVE OFF HEAT DEATHS AND IN THE WINTER, TRYING TO STAVE OFF HYPOTHEY WEREA DEATHS.

THE PURCHASE OF PORTABLE GENERATORS AFTER THESE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS CONTINUE TO SPIKE, WHICH ONLY FURTHER THE CYCLE >> YOUR STORY ALLUDES TO SOME PEOPLE WHO PUT THESE PORTABLE GENERATORS VERY CLOSE TO THEIR HOUSE.

WHY ARE PEOPLE DOING THAT AND ARE THE RISKS WELL SPELLED OUT?

>> THIS FAMILY HAS BEEN USING A PORTABLE GENERATOR FOR YEARS.

THEY LIVE CLOSE TO HOUSTON SO THEY'VE LIVED THROUGH SEVERAL HURRICANES, THE WINTERS STORM IN 2021 THAT CAUSED HUGE WIDESPREAD OUTAGES AND THEY'RE USED TO USING THE GENERATOR SAFELY.

THEY'VE HAD NO ISSUES BEFORE.

THIS IS A FAMILY THAT KNOWS THE RISKS, KNOWS THEY NEED TO KEEP A GENERATOR 20 FEET FROM THEIR HOME AND IN THIS ONE INSTANCE MADE THE MISTAKE OF MOVING IT SLIGHTLY CLOSER AND PUT IT UNDER THEIR PORCH IN ANTICIPATION OF RAIN FROM THE HURRICANE TO KEEP IT SAFE SO THEIR POWER COULD CONTINUE TO RUN.

UNFORTUNATELY THAT LED TO ALL THREE FAMILY MEMBERS BEING HOSPITALIZED AND HAVING TO BE TREATED AT THE MOST EXTREME LEVEL.

DOCTORS TOLD THEM THEY WERE MINUTES AWAY FROM DYING.

WE SEE SANTA ANAS LIKE THIS OF FAMILIES WHO DO KNEE THE RISK BUT MAYBE MAKE A SIMPLE MISTAKE BUT WE ALSO SEE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DANGEROUS OF THESE PORTABLE GENERATORS OR OTHER THINGS LIKE RUNNING A CAR IN YOUR ENCLOSED GARAGE.

>> THE FAMILIES YOU PROFILED ON YOUR STORY WERE IN TEXAS, WHICH HAS RELATIVELY LAX REQUIREMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONINGS.

IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN AN INCREASE IN POISE OPTION AND STATES THAT DON'T HAVE STRONG DETECTOR REGULATIONS?

>> WHEN WE FIRST STARTED REPORTING ON THIS IN 2021 AFTER THE WINTER STORM I MENTIONED BEFORE.

AT THAT POINT TEXAS DID NOT HAVE ANY STATEWIDE REQUIREMENT, WHICH WAS ONLY A HANDFUL OF STATES AT THE TIME THAT HAD NONE.

SINCE THEN THEY'VE PASSED AN UPDATED CODE THAT REQUIRES CO DETECTORS IN SOME NEW BUILDINGS AND RENOVATED BUILDINGS AS WELL WHICH IS ONLY A FRACTION OF BUILDINGS IN THE STATE.

IT LEAVES MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF HOMES UNPROTECTED.

SO THIS ISN'T SOMETHING I'VE SEEN HAS BEEN DIRECTLY STUDIED BUT CERTAINLY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS TELL US THAT CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS ARE THE ONLY SURE-FIRE WAY TO PREVENT THESE POISONINGS.

AS YOU MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, YOU CANNOT SMELL THIS GAS OR SEE IT.

THERE IS NO WAY TO SENSE IT OTHER THAN A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR.

SO CERTAINLY ADVOCATES SAY THE COMMON SENSE EXCLUSION IS TO PASS FURTHER REQUIREMENTS TO REQUIRE THESE IN EVERY HOME.

THE CORRELATION HASN'T TOTALLY BEEN STUDIED BUT THAT'S WHAT PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS TELL US.

>> WHAT ARE POLICYMAKERS SAYING WHO ARE ARGUING AGAINST CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS?

THESE ARE CHEAP THINGS THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.

>> IT'S PHONE BECAUSE YOU DON'T REALLY SEE A LOT OF ARGUMENT AGAINST THESE REQUIREMENTS BUT YOU DON'T REALLY SEE ANYONE CARRYING THIS ISSUE SO THAT IT HAS BECOME LAW.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S CAPTURED STATE LAWMAKERS' ATTENTION AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL.

INSTEAD TEXAS STATE LAWMAKERS FOCUSED ON THE UNDERLYING ISSUE, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS THE POWER GRID AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT CONTINUES RUNNING WELL SO THAT THERE AREN'T THESE MAJOR PO POWEROUTAGES BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN ONE LAW MAKER, AT LEAST IN PUBLIC, CHAMPION THE ISSUE AND THEREFORE PUT FORTH SOLUTIONS.

WE HAVEN'T SEEN MANY LAWMAKERS COME OUT AGAINST THE SOLUTION NECESSARILY BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY THAT HAVE BROUGHT IT FORWARD.

>> LEXIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

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