Risks Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Increase With Winter

With another round of snow expected over the weekend, Northwestern Energy spokesman Butch Larcombe is warning the public to be aware of the threats of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"It gets cold and people are using their heating equipment more often and more intensely and it can lead to problems," said Larcombe. "The key problem we have is with improper venting of furnaces. When you get a lot of snow, a lot of times the vents to these things are on roofs and snow can build up on the roof and block the vent which could lead to a very dangerous situation."

Deaths caused by carbon monoxide seem to occur nearly every winter and there has already been at least one case this year.

"There was a person in Helena a couple weeks ago that died of carbon monoxide poisoning due to an improperly installed furnace," Larcombe said. "That is a little bit different than the vent situation, but certainly we recommend people get carbon monoxide detectors and install them in their home and make sure they have fresh batteries and that they are fully functioning."

Carbon monoxide detectors typically range in price between 10 and 40 dollars and can be found at any local hardware store.