Division of Environmental Health, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL 32399, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2011 Mar-Apr;126(2):240-50. doi: 10.1177/003335491112600215.
Previous Florida evaluations of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have been disaster focused. The majority of prevention messages and risk-factor identification efforts have revolved around hurricane season (June-November). We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and causes of CO poisoning within Florida throughout the year to produce a more complete presentation of the burden of CO poisoning.
We obtained data from death certificates, hospital discharge records, and emergency department records. We limited our analysis to unintentional poisonings, calculating rates for age, gender, race, and ethnicity, and reviewing poisoning chronology, location, and exposure situation.
From 1999 to 2007, 493 people were hospitalized, and 230 individuals died as a result of non-fire-related CO poisoning. From 2005 to 2007, 781 people visited emergency departments for non-fire-related CO poisoning. Rates of severe poisoning resulting in hospitalization or death were highest among the elderly (0.56 visits and 0.63 deaths per 100,000 Floridians). Acute poisoning rates were highest among people 25-34 years of age (2.48 visits per 100,000 Floridians). Poisonings were primarily due to motor vehicle exhaust (21%-69%) and generator exposure (12%-33%), and the majority (50%-70%) occurred within the home. A large number of poisonings (25%-29%) occurred during the winter months, outside of hurricane season.
The findings of this study indicate a need for additional prevention strategies in conjunction with current activities to more effectively reduce the number of CO poisonings in Florida. Prevention activities should be conducted year-round, and additional strategies should include public awareness of the hazards of motor vehicle exhaust.
以前佛罗里达州对一氧化碳（CO）中毒的评估侧重于灾难。大多数预防信息和危险因素识别工作都围绕飓风季节（6 月至 11 月）展开。我们评估了佛罗里达州全年 CO 中毒的流行率、危险因素和原因，以更全面地呈现 CO 中毒的负担。
我们从死亡证明、住院记录和急诊记录中获取数据。我们将分析仅限于非故意中毒，计算年龄、性别、种族和民族的发生率，并审查中毒的时间顺序、地点和暴露情况。
1999 年至 2007 年，有 493 人因非火灾相关的 CO 中毒住院，有 230 人因此死亡。2005 年至 2007 年，有 781 人因非火灾相关的 CO 中毒到急诊就诊。导致住院或死亡的严重中毒率在老年人中最高（每 10 万佛罗里达州人中有 0.56 次就诊和 0.63 人死亡）。年轻人（25-34 岁）的急性中毒率最高（每 10 万佛罗里达州人中有 2.48 次就诊）。中毒主要是由于汽车尾气（21%-69%）和发电机暴露（12%-33%）引起的，大多数（50%-70%）发生在家庭内。大量中毒（25%-29%）发生在冬季，不在飓风季节。
本研究的结果表明，需要结合当前的活动制定更多的预防策略，以更有效地减少佛罗里达州 CO 中毒的数量。预防活动应全年进行，额外的策略应包括公众对汽车尾气危害的认识。
