It's time to set the record straight: Carbon monoxide is not a “gas leak.” It is a toxic gas exposure. And using the wrong language confuses the public, delays understanding, and prevents families from knowing what actually happened, or how to protect their children in the future. This imprecise reporting isn’t a small issue. It undermines awareness, downplays risk, and allows preventable CO incidents to keep happening.

If you’re responsible for a school, childcare center, campus facility, or any public building, you may have been told some version of: “Don’t worry; we have CO detectors installed.” But here’s the problem: Most buildings rely on carbon monoxide devices that weren’t designed for educational or multi-room environments. And many assume all CO detection devices work the same; they don’t.

Every year, students and educators are exposed to, and often poisoned by, a gas that no one can see, smell, taste, or hear: carbon monoxide. At CO Safe Schools, we believe that awareness isn't enough; we need a framework that helps everyone understand how to take action. That's why we developed the 4 P's of CO Safety: poison, prevention, protection, and preparedness.

For decades, carbon monoxide (CO) safety education has relied on a familiar visual: a chart linking parts per million (PPM) to predicted health effects. It’s neat, it’s easy to reference, and it’s dangerously incomplete. Because carbon monoxide exposure doesn’t follow charts. It follows conditions: who you are, where you are, and how long you’re there. That’s why it’s time for a new way to understand CO’s impact: a model that puts people, not numbers, at the center.

Nikki sheds some real talk on CO and CO2.

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