CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) — Central Virginia welcomed its first snow of the year on Sunday. While staying cozy in your home is the safest way to spend snow days, you still need to do your part to protect yourself and your family indoors.
Much like how snow is soft and quiet, carbon monoxide is known as the “silent killer.” As temperatures plummet and power becomes less than reliable, health experts like Chris Holstege with UVA Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center urge people to protect themselves from this colorless, odorless toxin.
“The concern, always, is of people bringing in generators into their homes or trying to heat their homes with a stove or with a grill that’s meant for the outdoors,” Holstege said.
Holstege told 8News that more than 500 Americans die every year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. According to a report shared by the American Meteorological Society, 17% of those deaths are associated with winter weather.
Freezing temperatures expected to turn roads into sheets of ice across Virginia