Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. As National Indoor Air Quality Month Comes to a Close, Use Your Voice to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning This November

by Jamilah Maronde, CEHN/NCHH Fellow

It’s deadly. Silent. Odorless. Invisible. No, this isn’t a new Halloween costume idea—it’s carbon monoxide.

With Americans spending 90% of their time indoors, everyone should be an indoor air quality advocate during National Indoor Air Quality month every October and beyond. The quality of the air we breathe when inside can have consequential impacts on our well-being. We might be exposed to common indoor air contaminants including radon, pesticides, a variety of environmental asthma triggers, VOCs, and particulate matter and, because of these exposures, experience increased health problems such as respiratory illnesses, heart conditions, and cancers. And yet, many Americans are missing an important piece of the invisible yet deadly puzzle: carbon monoxide.

Did you know that approximately two thirds of American homes use fuel burning appliances, like stoves or water heaters, yet less than half have properly functioning CO alarms installed in their homes? In addition, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisonings every year. These numbers may be disheartening, but it actually motivates me.

Why?

Because carbon monoxide deaths are completely preventable. Unlike some other air quality issues that may require complete renovations to housing or expensive fixes, carbon monoxide deaths can be avoided through a series of relatively simple actions.
(1) We know the root causes, such as improperly ventilated gas stoves, generators, water heaters, fireplaces, grills, heaters, and other fuel-burning appliances. (2) We have the tools, like alarms and detectors to signal dangerous levels. (3) People can be informed on the symptoms to look out for, like dizziness or fatigue. With this, the goal of no poisonings or deaths from carbon monoxide is fully attainable. Refer to these resources from the EPA as measurable steps to reduce exposure and from the CDC to reduce carbon monoxide exposure risk.

Another piece of the puzzle is a colossal push focused on getting people informed, energized, and equipped to make actionable choices that keep them and their loved ones safe is necessary to achieve this world without carbon monoxide death or injury, which brings us to Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month!

November kicks off Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month, which is a perfect transition from Indoor Air Quality Awareness month of October. We implore you to use the resources that key partners such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association (NCOAA) have created to ensure your family, friends, and community are prepared and safe against carbon monoxide poisonings and deaths.

Use Your Voice to Save Lives

Reach Out to Local/Regional Press and Media
Never written a press outreach email? No worries! Our NCOAA partners developed a press and media toolkit that contains resources, such as email templates, to easily contact your local or regional press, media, or news outlets.

Drop It in the Group Chat! Friends and Family
One of the most impactful ways you can show you care about someone is by connecting them with potentially life-saving information. You can reference NCOAA’s email template here. Sharing information about carbon monoxide is especially important if you have someone in your circle who is:

• Pregnant
• Immunocompromised
• Elderly
• Hearing impaired
• Economically or socially disadvantaged, or who
• Has pets or
• Exercises indoors.

Drop NCOAA’s carbon monoxide toolkit or resources into your Facebook groups, school-parent newsletter, family group chat, Slack work chat, or print and hang some of their graphics in your place of work, supermarket, and/or local restaurants.

Every Like, Comment, and Share Matters: a Social Media Guide
Although social media may have a reputation for selfies and viral videos, it is also a powerful tool for disseminating vital health and safety information. Use your platform to share images and graphics or memes throughout the month, complete with pre-written captions and a suggested posting calendar. If you have a personal experience or story to tell related to carbon monoxide, the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association also created this guide to help you create your own short-form video.

Using your voice is empowering, especially when it can potentially play a part in avoiding preventable carbon monoxide poisonings and deaths. To reach as many communities as possible, we need everyone to leverage their networks through social media, press outreach, and word of mouth to ensure that the indoor spaces we spend so much time in are safe and prepared.

I implore you to utilize NCOAA’s Carbon Monoxide Awareness Toolkit and other resources available from partners like EPA, local health departments, and community advocates to share resources and be a part of creating an impactful awareness campaign this November.

Jamilah Maronde, MPH, is a 2025 Children’s Environmental Health and Healthy Housing Summer Fellow for NCHH and the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN). Ms. Maronde is a public health communicator primarily interested in the way that our environment, both indoor and outdoor, impact our health. She is a recent graduate of the Master of Public Health program at NYU, where she was a William N. Rom Climate Change and Health Fellow. Her notable past work includes working with the nonprofit Pure Earth in creating a virtual reality experience showcasing routes of lead and mercury exposure in various industries in Ghana. In addition, she worked at the NYU Office of Sustainability as a communications coordinator. She strongly believes in the power of coalition and that we can achieve health for all when we bring our voices together to enact change.