Citation

Iqbal S, Clower JH, Hernandez SA, Damon SA, Yip FY. Am. J. Public Health 2012; 102(10): 1957-1963.

Affiliation

Shahed Iqbal, Scott A. Damon, and Fuyuen Y. Yip are with the Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Jacquelyn H. Clower is with Cazador, contracted to Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sandra A. Hernandez is with the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2012.300674

PMID

22897556

Abstract

Objectives. We conducted a systematic literature review to better understand aspects of disaster-related carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning surveillance and determine potentially effective prevention strategies. Methods. This review included information from 28 journal articles on disaster-related CO poisoning cases occurring between 1991 and 2009 in the United States. Results. We identified 362 incidents and 1888 disaster-related CO poisoning cases, including 75 fatalities. Fatalities occurred primarily among persons who were aged 18 years or older (88%) and male (79%). Hispanics and Asians accounted for 20% and 14% of fatal cases and 21% and 7% of nonfatal cases, respectively. Generators were the primary exposure source for 83% of fatal and 54% of nonfatal cases; 67% of these fatal cases were caused by indoor generator placement. Charcoal grills were a major source of exposure during winter storms. Most fatalities (94%) occurred at home. Nearly 89% of fatal and 53% of nonfatal cases occurred within 3 days of disaster onset. Conclusions. Public health prevention efforts could benefit from emphasizing predisaster risk communication and tailoring interventions for racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities. These findings highlight the need for surveillance and CO-related information as components of disaster preparedness, response, and prevention. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 16, 2012: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300674).

Language: en