D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
January 2010
The Terrible Twins
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning can both turn a camping trip into tragedy.
During a past deer hunt I believe I almost died. I was staying in my buddy's fifth-wheel, two-room camper at the time.
Now, I like warmth when I sleep, and my pal likes it cold, so he slept with the door closed and the window open. I like to sleep in a down bag with several layers of comforters on top and a heater going.
Unfortunately, the camper's propane furnace was on the fritz and I had to bring in my propane heater mounted on a 16-ounce bottle; the gadget had been my faithful companion for nigh onto 25 years. But on this fateful night, I awoke at 2 a.m. with a pounding headache, nausea, weakness and dizziness. I knew it was from the heater.
It was partially my fault. When I first lit it, the device hadn't burned its normal bright orange flame, but instead had an anemic orange center with plenty of blue flame surrounding it.
I didn't want to freeze, so I used it anyway. After all, the windows were open at each end of the room, or so I thought, and so I'd have plenty of fresh air to keep the room "cleansed."
The trouble was, the windows weren't open; my buddy had closed them while I was outside earlier, and he had forgotten to tell me. I didn't discover that fact until after I was deathly sick!
Right off I got up and shut the heater down, then went to open the windows farther; that's when I found them closed.
I went back to the sack and tried to sleep it off, but I was too sick, and thus, tossed and turned for the next four hours. In fact, I was miserable. It wasn't until I got up and was two miles down the road on my ATV that everything finally cleared up.
How close really was I to unconsciousness or death? I don't really know, but I'm glad I woke up when I did!
I am betting a good peso that, like me, most of you don't know what I had. Was it carbon monoxide poisoning or carbon dioxide poisoning? And does it really matter? So I set about to find out in hopes that I can educate and help myself in the future, and also help some of you, too.
A trip to see Chuey Lopez, who is retired from the Silver City fire department and currently runs a business teaching emergency intervention first aid, cleared up a lot of my misconceptions. The rest were cleared up on the Web.
I found out that I indeed had succumbed to monoxide poisoning, but the symptoms of both maladies are the same, or nearly so. It is the causes that separate the two, and since this is an outdoors column, I will address that which pertains to the outdoors.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is the number-one cause of accidental deaths in the US, and is known as the "Silent Killer." It is caused by unburned gases, or burned byproducts, entering the air in a closed environment and overwhelming the oxygen. The victim breathes in the gases and thus, gets poisoned in his/her lungs, brain and blood supply.
These gases come from propane, kerosene and white gas heaters and appliances. So make sure that your gadgets operate as they should! And make equally sure that you have adequate ventilation for fresh air to replace the displaced or used-up oxygen. Two openings of no less than 12 inches by 24 inches are the absolute minimum to keep fresh air flowing.
Wood stoves and charcoal burners must have the same ventilation, because they emit burned byproducts into the air space.
In my case, I later found the rubber washer that butts up against the propane bottle opening to be split, thus allowing unburned, raw gas to enter the air. Because of this, too, my burner wasn't getting enough fuel and this created the telltale blue fire.
By the way, according to Coleman, which makes the things, a general rule of thumb is: A catalytic heater, such as you might use to warm a tent, should always glow orange; a blue color means things ain't working right! For gas grills or other open flames fueled by propane or natural gas, the reverse is true.
Beside my four symptoms already mentioned, other symptoms are: euphoria (sense of being high), vomiting, lethargy, confusion, heart problems (fast or erratic heartbeat), wanting to sleep, confusion and unconsciousness.
Results of such poisoning are permanent heart damage, lung damage, brain damage, eye impairment, speech impairment and death!
Both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are colorless, odorless and tasteless for the most part. In other words, it is the symptoms that alert you to these deadly twins.
By the way, the fumes from running a gas-powered generator inside your camper or tent will have the same catastrophic effects. So will having an engine running if the exhaust leaks into your confinement. In other words, don't do either!
Carbon dioxide poisoning is a critter of a different sort, but just as deadly. It is known as the "greenhouse gas." In this instance, the victim uses up all of the oxygen in a closed environment, emits carbon dioxide from his/her lungs and re-breathes it! Too much CO2 sucked back into the lungs, and the person gets sick and dies!
The major cause of this poisoning is a result of an airtight tent, camper or cabin with no fresh air coming in. It can also occur when a physically active person is in a cave, a mineshaft or high on a mountain top and there is an inadequate supply of oxygen.
If a person covers his/her head too tightly in a sleeping bag or under a thick blanket, the same condition can happen.
Initial symptoms are: heavy chest feeling, labored breathing, muscle tightening, flushed skin, high blood pressure and wanting to sleep. Advanced or critical signs are: headache, erratic or fast heartbeat, dizziness, fatigue, lethargy, very rapid and short breaths, loss of vision and hearing, and unconsciousness. Prolonged exposure will cause you to die!
In both poisonings, the best cure is to get outside in the fresh air as soon as you know something is wrong, before it overwhelms you. Stay outside until the symptoms disappear. I didn't do that, and I believe the Lord performed a miracle of sparing me from such consequences; I shoulda gotten outside right away, but I didn't know that, and hey, it was cold out there anyway! I've never been accused by some of being the brightest bulb in the pack. Now I know better.
As I said in the opening, I tell you all of this in hopes my experience will help you before it happens and you never have to suffer with even more serious consequences.
As always, keep the sun forever at your back, the wind forever in your face, and may The Forever God bless you too! Happy New Year!
When not ramblin' outdoors, Larry Lightner lives in Silver City.