Leopard Catamarans 40 - 2-8.2 Emergency Treatment Of Co Poisoning

42 | 2-8 Carbon Monoxide
deathand,ifexposureisprolonged,death
oftheindividual.Altitude,certainhealth
relatedproblemsandagewillincreasethe
effectsofCO.Personswhosmokeorare
exposedtohighconcentrationsof
cigarettesmoke,consumealcoholorhave
lungdisordersorheartproblemsare
particularlysusceptibletoanincreasein
theeffectsfromCO.However,all
occupants’healthshouldbeconsidered.
Physicalexertionacceleratestherateat
whichthebloodabsorbsCO.
DANGER
Carbonmonoxideinhighconcentrations
canbefatalinamatterofminutes.Lower
concentrationsmustnotbeignored
becausetheeffectsofexposuretoCOare
cumulativeandcanbejustaslethal.
SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING
Thesequenceofsymptomslisted
generallyreectstheorderofoccurrence
inmostpeople;however,therearemany
variablesthataffectthisorderofsymptom
manifestation.Oneormoreofthe
followingsymptomscansignalthe
adverseeffectofCOaccumulation:
1. Wateringanditchyeyes,
2. Flushedappearance,
3. Throbbingtemples,
4. Inattentiveness,
5. Inabilitytothinkcoherently
6. Lossofphysicalcoordination
7. Ringingintheears,
8. Tightnessacrossthechest,
9. Headache,
10. Drowsiness,
11. Incoherence,
12. Slurredspeech,
13. Nausea,
14. Dizziness,
15. Fatigue,
16. Vomiting,
17. Collapse,
18. Convulsions.
2-8.2 EMERGENCY TREATMENT OF
CO POISONING
COtoxicityisalife-threateningemergency
thatrequiresimmediateaction.The
followingisalistofthingsthatshouldbe
doneifCOpoisoningissuspected.
Proceedwithcaution.Thevictimmaybe
inanareaofhighCOconcentration.
• Evaluatethesituationandventilate
theareaifpossible
• Evacuatetheareaandmoveaffected
person(s)toafreshairenvironment
• Observethevictim(s)
• Administeroxygen,ifavailable
• Contactmedicalhelp.Ifthevictimis
notbreathing,performrescue
breathing or approved
cardiopulmonaryresuscitation(CPR),
asappropriate,untilmedicalhelp
arrives.Promptactioncanmakethe
differencebetweenlifeanddeath
• InvestigatesourceofCOandtake
correctiveaction.
MARINE CO DETECTION SYSTEMS
Evenwiththebestofboatdesignand
construction,andscrupulousattentionto
inspection,operationandmaintenanceof
boatsystems,hazardouslevelsofCO
may,undercertainconditions,bepresent
ininteriorspacesandexteriorareas.
VigilantobservationofpassengersforCO
sicknesssymptomsshouldbe
supplementedbyamarineCOdetection
deviceintheaccommodationspace.
Detectiondevicesshouldmeetthe
requirementsofABYCA-24,Carbon
MonoxideDetectionSystemsonBoats.
NOTE: There are currently no known
CO detectors available for permanent
installation in exterior areas.