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Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is preventable. In Maine, 150-200 people receive care for CO poisoning; and 1-5 people die from CO poisoning annually.
Installation of a carbon monoxide detector can reduce exposure and prevent CO poisoning, but studies to evaluate the effectiveness of this public health prevention strategy are limited. In 2009, Maine passed legislation requiring CO detectors in all rental dwellings, new homes, and existing homes upon property transfer. As a result, the prevalence of CO detectors in dwellings has increased substantially in recent years. The study objective is to estimate reductions in the rate of CO poisoning when CO detectors are present using data from multiple sources.
METHODS:
Cases of CO poisoning were identified from discharge records using ICD9 and E-codes. Intentional, fire-related and occupational exposures to CO were excluded. CO detector prevalence estimates were obtained using data from the BRFSS. Food stamp data were used as an economic indicator.
Poisson regression using PROC GENMOD in SAS was employed to fit multiplicative models used to estimate the expected reduction in CO morbidity. Final models also took into account the potential for repeated effects over time at the county level.
RESULTS:
The intended use of a CO detector in the home is to reduce poisonings from CO exposure. In this study the presence of a CO detector in the home was estimated to reduce CO poisoning by 78.2% (95%CI: 27.6-93.4).
CONCLUSIONS:
While there has been little formal evaluation to ascertain effectiveness, this study shows measureable evidence as to the extent to which a CO detector could reduce poisonings. These results support findings from Maine's case based CO Poisoning Surveillance System where almost 89% of those exposed inside the home did not have a CO detector present.