Illinois Carbon Monoxide Study Reports 57 Deaths Annually

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued its first carbon monoxide (CO) surveillance report, detailing all known unintentional CO exposures in the state from 2019-2023. Data from the report aims to help state and local officials work on targeted public information and education efforts and other interventions to help Illinoisans avoid emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths resulting from carbon monoxide exposure.

“In 2024, Illinois fire departments responded to 9,860 carbon monoxide-related calls across our state,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow. “These numbers serve as a powerful reminder that carbon monoxide remains a serious and potentially deadly threat in our homes. The good news is that prevention is simple, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms save lives. Regularly testing your alarms, checking expiration dates, and replacing units that are broken or outdated is your strongest line of defense against accidental carbon monoxide poisoning or worse.”

Among the key findings in the report:

• Over the five years of the study, carbon monoxide exposures resulted in an average of 940 emergency department (ED) visits, 126 hospital admissions, and nearly 57 deaths annually in Illinois.
• While unintentional CO exposures are most common during cold weather months from October to March, they can and do happen at any time of the year.
• Among the most common sources of unintentional carbon monoxide exposures are fire and smoke; malfunctioning or improperly ventilated furnaces, gas stoves, water heaters, or other appliances; exhaust from vehicles running in garages or other enclosed spaces; generators operating indoors without proper ventilation or operating outdoors too close to open windows; and gas-powered tools like saws or power washers being operated indoors or in unventilated spaces.
• Fire departments responded to more than 50,000 total carbon monoxide incidents statewide in the five-year period, with 95% of them occurring in residential settings. Commercial and business locations accounted for 2.4% of total reports, followed by public/government locations, healthcare and assisted living facilities, and institutional/educational locations.
• CO incidents were more likely to occur on Sunday than any other day of the week, and more likely to happen in the evening hours (6 p.m. to midnight). Both findings reflect times when people were more likely to be home and using furnaces, appliances, or other potential sources of carbon monoxide.
• In 81% of all incidents, no data was provided on whether a working carbon monoxide detector was in place at the site of the exposure. Of the remaining 19% of incident reports, 6% indicated that residents were alerted to the issue by a working CO detector; 1% indicated that no working detector was in place; and 12% said the CO detector status was “unknown.” The report said this shows the need for more consistent and complete reporting practices.

IDPH will use the report to support a number of initiatives aimed at improving awareness and prevention of carbon monoxide exposures.