Power Outages Increase Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Children

A power outage increased the odds of pediatric carbon monoxide poisoning in children under 5 by over 50% in outages that impacted at least 1% of the community, according to a New York-based study in Pediatrics. In larger-scale outages where at least 20% of homes were without power, it increased the odds of carbon monoxide poisoning in children by more than 150%, according to the research. Carbon monoxide is an odorless and potentially deadly gas that becomes more likely to be encountered when power outages occur and families rely on generators to heat their homes. The study, “Power Outages and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Children,” published in the June 2025 Pediatrics (published online on Monday, May 5), is based on data from 917 carbon monoxide poisoning visits in children younger than age 5 who arrived at emergency departments across the state of New York from 2017 through 2020. Researchers found that just four hours without power increased the odds of pediatric carbon monoxide poisoning. The data showed a stronger association in urban areas between power outages and carbon monoxide poisoning visits to the emergency department. However, the rate of carbon monoxide poisoning was higher for rural parts of the state. Winter and spring proved to be the most common seasons for power outage-related pediatric carbon monoxide poisoning. Authors conclude that power outages should be regarded as an important risk factor for carbon monoxide poisoning in children, especially for those in historically disadvantaged groups. The authors suggest increased patient education on safe generator use, conversations on disaster planning, and targeted public messaging during power outages. 

### 

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.