Driver Health: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

As CDLLife community member, Kimberly Myers mentioned on our wall earlier last week – carbon monoxide poisoning is a danger to the health of some drivers. Learn the hard-to-spot symptoms and dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning here.

A number of truck driver deaths which have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Two of the better-known cases include: In 2009, an Ohio truck driver who had an exhaust leak that he was unaware of. After driving for awhile, he began to fall ill – due to the carbon monoxide, according the first responders. This driver actually had to be flown to a hospital from a local trucking company.

The second known incident was in 2010. Bruce Kidd, a Canadian truck driver was found dead in the cab of his truck – an entire week later. Kidd had been using a propane heater to keep warm in the below freezing temperatures, which created a large amount of carbon monoxide inside of his truck.

Although diesel engines have lower concentrations of carbon monoxide than gasoline, the emissions could still amount to a lethal concentration. The scariest part about dealing with the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning, is that the gas is odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating. It’s difficult to detect without the use of special equipment, which is why thousands of American workers are killed by it each year. An additional 10,000 of those exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide suffer from life-long debilitating effects, and millions come in low-level contact with this dangerous gas each year.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Include: 

• Dull Headache
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Shortness of Breath
• Confusion
• Blurred Vision
• Loss of Consciousness

See a doctor immediately if you suspect that you have had exposure to carbon monoxide.

One easy way to take a step towards keeping yourself safe is to invest in an electric carbon monoxide detection alarm. They can be purchased for as low as $13.24 on Amazon.

Have you ever been exposed to carbon monoxide on the road? Tell us what happened!

Stay safe out there!

Sources
Mayo Clinic
Sadaka Law Offices