Carbon monoxide threat seeps in
Winter brings danger of poisoning from tasteless, odorless gas
By MARIE ROHDE
mrohde@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 4, 2005
Franklin - Susan Allen and her husband, Richard, sensed something in their home was amiss as soon as they woke up early Saturday morning.
"I thought I smelled something and we checked the dryer, thinking the flame had blown out and the gas was leaking in," Allen said. "The longer we were in the house, the shakier we began to feel."
The Allens, their visiting adult son and his 5-year-old daughter were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning from the tasteless, odorless gas that can kill. About 8 a.m., they called 911 and got out of their home just in time.
"We spent 3 1/2 hours in the hyperbaric chamber at St. Luke's Hospital," Susan Allen said. "I think we were very, very lucky."
Beth Martin, a WE Energies spokeswoman, agrees.
"The symptoms are similar to the flu," Martins said. "The results can be tragic."
The Journal of the American Medical Association describes carbon monoxide as the "silent killer," the No. 1 source of poisoning deaths in the United States, having taken more than 250 American lives last year.
The gas is produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels - the Allens suspect that their 30-year-old furnace had a cracked heat exchanger that caused the problem.
Martin cautioned that furnaces are not the only culprits. Cars left running inside garages also create carbon monoxide that can quickly seep into a home with the same devastating effect. Malfunctioning natural gas appliances and kerosene heaters also can be dangerous.
WE Energies suggests regular maintenance and inspection of gas appliances, regular cleaning of fireplace flues, avoiding an attempt to heat a room or home with a gas oven and, most importantly, using a carbon monoxide detector. The utility also urges anyone who suspects a carbon monoxide problem to get outdoors as quickly as possible and to call 911.
"We're all programmed and understand the importance of smoke detectors," Susan Allen said. "But we're not quite as alert to the importance of carbon monoxide detectors."
The detectors pick up the presence of the gas before an average, healthy adult begins to feel the ill effects, she said.
Susan Allen said she had bought several detectors and had given them to family members as gifts in the past but didn't put one in her home.
"Our children were grown, and I didn't think it was necessary," she said. "We bought two of them yesterday afternoon for our home." |
