[abstract] CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING: ARE MINORITY RACES AT INCREASED RISK?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have suggested that members of certain minority racial and/or ethnic group may be at increased risk for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. To test that hypothesis, we examined the racial distribution and sources of CO poisoning for patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) in Seattle during the past ten years. METHODS: Records of Washington State residents treated with HBO2 for unintentional CO poisoning at Virginia Mason Medical Center from December 1987 to February 1997 were reviewed. Data abstracted included race, age, gender, county of residence and source of exposure. Population data for individual racial and ethnic groups were obtained from 1990 US Census data. RESULTS: During the decade reviewed, 527 cases of unintentional CO poisoning were treated. Race could be determined from medical records in 473 (90percent) cases, comprising the study population. Seven patients fell outside of the five US Census racial and ethnic groups.See chart. The most common sources of CO were charcoal briquettes, motor vehicles and fires, in decreasing order. Hispanic, Asian and Black individuals accounted for 87percent of exposures to charcoal briquettes, while Whites accounted for 90percent of cases resulting from boats, generators, and forklifts. CONCLUSION: As compared to population data, certain minority groups are disproportionately represented among patients referred for unintentional CO poisoning. Specific sources of CO account for a majority of these poisonings. This suggests thta intervention in the form of directed educational programs has the potential to decrease the risk of unintentional CO poisoning in trgeted populations.