Carbon monoxide poisoning: What you need to know this spring about the 'silent killer'

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be deadly, taking your life in just a few minutes.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) -- Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can be deadly, taking your life in only a few minutes.

While the odorless gas poses a threat all year long, there are situations this spring and summer where you are at a higher risk of being poisoned.

Vehicles, boats, RVs and anything that burns gas or propane also produce carbon monoxide. The gas is the reason we shut off cars before closing a garage.

Be careful leaving any engines running or starting up a fuel-powered appliance, such as a grill, in an enclosed space.

"Carbon monoxide is considered the silent killer because you can't hear it," Huntsville Fire Marshal Dan Wilkerson said. "You can't smell it. You could be breathing in carbon monoxide and have no idea."

Installing a carbon monoxide detector in your home and other spaces is a great way to make sure you and your family are safe. Wilkerson recommends you check your detector monthly.

"Small doses of carbon monoxide will make you feel tired or sleepy, and if you get large doses of carbon monoxide, it can make you vomit, throw up, [experience] headaches and eventually render you unconscious," Wilkerson said.

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, alcohol drinkers or people who are sleeping can suffer fatal CO poisoning "before ever having symptoms."

The carbon monoxide enters your bloodstream and keeps your body from getting oxygen.

According to the CDC, accidental carbon monoxide poisoning results in over 100,000 people visiting U.S. emergency rooms and at least 420 deaths each year.

If you think you've been exposed to carbon monoxide or your detector goes off, move somewhere with fresh air and call the fire department. Wilkerson said his department has meters that can check the CO levels in your home, and it's always better to be cautious.