(Des Moines, IA) -- As temperatures continue to drop, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning rises.
Janna Day works with the Iowa Poison Control Center.
"We're cooped up in our homes and we have our furnaces on and maybe more gas-powered appliances running," Day says.
Those can range from the stove to the furnace to the water heater. Day says keeping up with those is a key to prevention.
"Making sure that you have your HVAC system, your furnace and that type of stuff regularly maintained to make sure that it's all in working order," Day says.
She also suggests a carbon monoxide alarm on each floor of the home, but if there's only one make sure it's by the sleeping area.
"It's very dangerous," Day says. "And carbon monoxide doesn't have an odor. It doesn't have a taste. It doesn't have any color."
She says symptoms could start like an every day cold, and without the alarm, there's no way to tell if they're due to the poisoning.
The Iowa Poison Control Center can be reached at 800-222-1222.