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Pastimes : Carbon Monoxide Mortality and Morbidity -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Shoot1st who wrote (84)	12/18/2005 5:46:38 PM
From: Shoot1st	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 265

Officials warn of carbon monoxide poisoning in wake of recent calls, death By BRENDAN MCGARRY bmcgarry@poststar.com Updated: 12/17/2005 9:02:00 AM Going without a functioning carbon monoxide detector can be fatal. A day after police in Saratoga Springs responded to a possible carbon monoxide poisoning death, police, fire and power officials sounded the alarm to the potentially-lethal gas -- and touted the life-saving benefits of an approved carbon monoxide detector. The devices are comparable in price to a smoke detector, with a basic model going for about $30 at Home Depot. "Cost is something you've got to weight against the value it adds," National Grid spokesman Alberto Bianchetti said Friday. Carbon monoxide poisoning is elusive because the gas is colorless and odorless, and symptoms resulting from toxic exposure to it resemble those of the flu, including headaches, nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, Bianchetti said. "If someone suspects carbon monoxide in their home, the person should go outside immediately and breathe as much fresh air as possible," he said. "If the symptoms are severe, they should seek medical attention." Carbon monoxide is formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon, which occurs in a variety of fuel-burning heating equipment, including natural gas- and propane-furnaces, gas-powered stoves and ovens, wood stoves and fireplaces. Saratoga Springs police believe the woman who died Wednesday, Kathleen Gallagher, 56, was using her stove to stay warm because of a malfunctioning furnace. Sgt. Warren Wildy said Friday police won't know the official cause of death until toxicology tests are complete in six weeks. Such cooking appliances aren't vented for long-term use, Bianchetti said. Queensbury's Bay Ridge Fire Chief Charles "Chip" Mellon Jr. said his department was called to a Sheraton Lane home nearly two years ago after a resident died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty furnace connection. The resident didn't have a carbon monoxide detector, and the levels of the gas reached more than 1,300 parts per million. (Levels of 100 parts per million or more are considered lethal, Mellon said.) "Because carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, people think when their carbon monoxide detector goes off, there's not really a problem and they're afraid to call," he said. "That's what we're here for. We don't mind whatsoever coming out. We're here to help people."