The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning among young kids drastically increases during power outages, results of a recent study show, and improper generator use may be one reason.
A group led by researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Columbia University examined power outages in New York state between 2017 and 2020 alongside ER visit data for kids and teens. More than 900 carbon monoxide poisonings involving this group were reported during the period.
The researchers found that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning among kids 5 and younger increased more than 50% when outages impacted at least 1% of homes and more than 150% when outages affected at least 20% of the area.
The researchers also determined that as little as four hours without power boosted the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Our study sheds light on important associations between electrical outages and children’s health,” Alexander Northrup, lead study author and part of the Department of Pediatrics at CHOP, says in a video associated with the study.
The researchers suggest “increased patient education on safe generator use, conversations on disaster planning and targeted public messaging during power outages.”
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
