But, do you know what carbon monoxide is, where it comes from, or how to protect yourself and your family? Knowing these things can greatly lower the chances of an injury or death from carbon monoxide. The Journal of the American Medical Association goes on to say, "the use of a carbon monoxide alarm could potentially prevent many of these fatalities."

What is carbon monoxide, and where does it come from?

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and poisonous gas, which is slightly lighter than air and forms when fuels burn incompletely. In layman's terms, it is produced when any fuel-burning object doesn't completely burn the gas supplied to it.

Carbon monoxide can be produced from any burned fuel, including: Gasoline, Propane, Natural Gas, Wood, Oil and Coal.

The household appliances that are most likely to cause carbon monoxide poisoning are: Furnaces, Gas Stoves, Clothes Dryers, Water Heaters and Space Heaters.

How do you protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning?

Now that you know what carbon monoxide is and where it comes from, you need to know how to protect yourself and your family from its deadly effects. Common sense tells us to be sure that fuel burning appliances are properly installed and to regularly check that they are functioning properly. But, installing a carbon monoxide alarm in your home is the best way to ensure your protection against this odorless poison.

A carbon monoxide alarm works by constantly monitoring you home for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, and if it discovers these levels, the carbon monoxide alarm sounds a signal and possibly even alerts the fire department. Air-borne substances and air temperature levels don't cause false alarms, because they have no effect on a carbon monoxide alarm.

When shopping for an alarm, remember to only purchase a carbon monoxide alarm that is approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). A carbon monoxide alarm can have many different features, most of which are optional. The one must-have carbon monoxide alarm feature is AC power with a battery backup. The optional carbon monoxide alarm features are: digital read out of carbon monoxide levels, home security system integration and smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm hybrid unit.

The number of carbon monoxide related deaths and injuries are enough to frighten anybody, but installing a carbon monoxide alarm can protect you and your family from this unfortunate fate.