Is Carbon Monoxide a "Gas Leak," or should we be calling it something else?

When a school experiences an environmental emergency, the public often learns about it through a brief press release on Facebook or a short news story. Unfortunately, the language used in those first reports is often vague, confusing, or flat-out incorrect, especially when carbon monoxide (CO) is involved.

Headlines frequently read:

• “School Evacuated Due to Gas Leak”

• “Students Sickened After Odor in Building”

• “Ventilation Issue Sends Children to Hospital”

• "Classes Postponed Due to Air Quality Concerns"

  
  

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.

It’s time to call CO by its name.

CO Safe Schools founder Nikki James Zellner speaks to an environmental science class in Alabama about how to audit their school for CO risk.

Why Language Matters So Much in CO Emergencies

When someone hears “gas leak,” they imagine natural gas: the kind with an odor, linked to a utility pipeline or appliance malfunction.

When someone hears “ventilation issue,” they assume stale air or a mechanical glitch.

When someone hears “students fell ill,” they think of a virus, dehydration, or seasonal illness.

But when someone hears carbon monoxide, the mental image changes:

• odorless

• deadly

• undetectable without proper alarms

• fast-spreading

• symptoms that mimic illness

• high hospitalization risk

These are completely different risk profiles. Using “gas leak” to describe a carbon monoxide event is like calling a structure fire a “temperature incident.” It minimizes the danger.

What a Natural Gas Leak Actually Is and Why It Happens

Natural gas is used on many school campuses to fuel boilers, water heaters, kitchen appliances, lab equipment, pool heaters, and sometimes generators. Because natural gas is odorless in its raw state, utilities add a chemical called mercaptan — the familiar “rotten egg smell” — so that leaks can be easily detected by people nearby. A natural gas leak usually occurs when fuel escapes before combustion (i.e., before it burns), and this typically happens due to deteriorating valves, aging pipe seals, loose fittings, improperly capped lines after renovations, or damage during maintenance and construction work.

Unlike carbon monoxide, which is produced after combustion, natural gas leaks often give off a strong odor and are frequently discovered through smell complaints, gas company monitoring, or emergency calls reporting the odor. Natural gas leaks are extremely serious and require immediate evacuation because of their explosive potential, but they are fundamentally different from carbon monoxide events, which are odorless, symptom-driven, and often harder to detect without proper alarms.

Why Schools and Reporters Default to “Gas Leak”

Here are some key reasons:

1. CO is invisible, so they grab a familiar term. “Gas leak” feels relatable to the public and easier to explain, so the PIO plugs it into the release. Then the media picks it up and runs as is. But both of these decisions confuse the root cause and miscommunicate the incident to the public.

2. Many schools don’t know, in the moment, what they’re dealing with. If there are symptoms but no alarms, they may not yet realize it’s CO. Most teachers, staff, and occupants are not trained on CO awareness, symptoms, prevention or preparedness.

3. People fear panic. Officials may think the term “CO poisoning” or "CO exposure" will escalate emotions, but ambiguity and miscommunication often do more harm than transparency.

4. CO and natural gas incidents are treated differently. Yet schools, and often the media, announce them the same way.

Carbon Monoxide Is Not a Traditional ‘Gas Leak.’ Here’s Why.

When we talk about “gas leaks,” most people think of:

• Natural gas (methane)

• Distinctive rotten-egg smell

• A utility issue (pipeline, stove, furnace)

• Risk of fire or explosion

But carbon monoxide is:

• A byproduct of combustion, not a utility gas

• Odorless and invisible

• Non-explosive

• Purely a toxic exposure hazard

• Produced by boilers, vehicles, generators, dryers, appliances, and even temporary equipment

  
  

So when a CO incident is called a “gas leak,” the public imagines the wrong problem entirely.

A natural gas leak in itself does not contain carbon monoxide. However, a malfunctioning or improperly vented gas appliance (like a furnace, stove, or water heater) that is burning natural gas can lead to incomplete combustion and produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide that then "leak" into the space.

Carbon Monoxide Incidents Need Standardized Language — Here’s What Should Be Reported

CO Safe Schools recommends that every school press release and every news story reporting a school-based exposure include, at a minimum, the following:

1. What kind of “gas”?

If it is carbon monoxide, the release should explicitly state:

“This incident involved carbon monoxide exposure.”

Not: “gas leak,”

Not: “ventilation issue,”

Not: “unknown odor.”

2. The PPM (parts per million) level shown by detection devices

This tells parents and health experts the severity of the event and helps them understand why students or staff became ill.

Even a range is helpful:

• “CO levels measured between 60–150 ppm”

• “Levels exceeded 200 ppm in the mechanical room”

  
  

If levels are unknown, schools should say so plainly. (But then, why were they unknown exactly? Lack of detection?)

3. Type of detection (or lack of detection)

This is crucial for public understanding and accountability.

• Alarms installed and alerted

• Alarms installed but did NOT alert

• No CO alarms installed

• Personal CO alarm alerted

• Detected by fire department upon arrival

• Detected because occupants experienced symptoms

This detail helps parents understand whether the building was properly protected.

4. How it was discovered

This is one of the most important pieces of the story.

• Symptom-based discovery (headache, dizziness, nausea, faintness)

• Medical call for a student, staff, vendor, or community member collapse

• Teachers reporting feeling unwell

• Personal CO detector carried by occupant

• Hallway/room alarm activation

• District maintenance investigation

• Fire department metered the building

This tells the community whether technology or human symptoms triggered the response.

5. Clear source type (if known)

Press should identify whether it was:

• A fixed source (boiler, water heater, HVAC, appliance)

• A portable source (generator, power washer, gas-powered equipment)

• Vehicle exhaust

• Improper ventilation

• Unknown source (investigation ongoing)

These distinctions matter because each suggests different prevention steps.

6. Location of the source and the affected area

This helps the public understand how CO moved through the building.

Example:

• “CO originated in a basement mechanical room and traveled through ventilation into three nearby classrooms.”

7. Medical outcomes

Without identifying individuals, schools should share:

• Number evaluated

• Number treated on scene

• Number transported

• Severity (if known)

Why This Matters: When CO Is Named, People Take Action

Carbon monoxide requires a very specific safety response:

• evacuation

• fresh air

• emergency medical evaluation

• building closure

• source repair

• detection verification

• public communication

If the public believes it was “just a gas leak,” they assume:

• someone smelled something

• a utility worker fixed a pipe

• the danger is over

That’s not how CO works.

Mislabeling CO incidents:

• hides risk

• delays policy change

• undermines transparency

• prevents families from advocating for detection

• erases the real lessons we need to learn

If we cannot name the hazard, we cannot fix it.

So What Should We Call A Carbon Monoxide Event?

Carbon monoxide exposures should be labeled clearly and consistently, always using Carbon Monoxide in the title.

Headlines should read:

Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incident At Local School

Carbon Monoxide at Daycare Sends 12 to Hospital

Carbon Monoxide Forces School Evacuation, Classes Cancelled Until HVAC Repaired

Secondary Clarifiers:

• “CO alarm activated in infant room of daycare”

• “CO levels detected at XX ppm through portable EMS meter”

• “CO leak originated from malfunctioning boiler”

• “CO impacted 80 students via the ventilation path”

Not:

❌ “Gas leak”

❌ “Unknown odor”

❌ “Ventilation issue”

❌ “Foul smell”

❌ “Air quality concern”

The Bottom Line on Carbon Monoxide Event Communication

Carbon monoxide is not a “gas leak.”It’s a toxic exposure that requires precise language and immediate action.

If we want to protect children, teachers, and community members, and begin preventing these incidents entirely, reporting needs to be:

• accurate

• consistent

• transparent

• specific

• actionable

Carbon monoxide has a name. And when we use it, we save lives.