Incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning tend to go up when the temps go down and Nebraska is among the states with the highest poisoning fatalities each year.
Joan McVoy with the Nebraska Poison Center says know the symptoms. "You feel sleepy, you can feel dizzy, your vision can be blurred. You can even have upset stomach and vomiting. The one symptom that nurses always are keying in on is that really bad headache, they feel like their head is just about to explode."
McVoy says to be aware of using things that put out carbon monoxide in confined areas. "We had a call the other day with a gentleman who was in the garage with a propane tank and he didn't have the door open and he was overcome with carbon monoxide."
If you don't have a carbon monoxide detector, McVoy says to make sure you install one. "Well we're at 15% more calls this year than we were last year, and we still have this bitter week to go through, so we'll probably get a lot more calls. If you live in Nebraska have a carbon monoxide alarm. Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning."
Also be sure to have your furnace checked, as faulty appliances can cause leaks as well.