Throughout this winter season, you're likely to see that familiar grey smoke billowing out of the chimneys and into the night sky. It's always wonderful to be able to cuddle up with loved ones in front of a fire. You might not realize that while you grasp that warm mug of steaming cappuccino with cold hands, and as you fall into the hypnotic flickering of the orange blaze, an unwelcome visitor may be entering your home.

He enters slowly and silently, and even though he caresses every part of your skin and hair you don't even realize that he's there. He glides across the room as you sip your coffee. You breathe him in, and slowly you begin to feel ill. Is this some kind of ethereal burglar? Some kind of creepy convict? Nope. This is carbon monoxide - a poisonous gas that may be present in your home now.

Carbon monoxide poisoning commonly occurs in homes without proper ventilation. Smaller homes or apartments are affected more quickly by the carbon monoxide emissions, and therefore should be particularly careful.

A wood burning fireplace isn't the only carbon monoxide producing device. Here are some more:

• Fuel fired furnaces (non-electric)
• Gas water heaters
• Wood stoves
• Gas stoves
• Gas dryers
• Charcoal grills
• Lawn mowers, snow blowers and other yard equipment, and
• Automobiles

The gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly. When you breathe in co, the results are like a form of slow suffocation. The poison attaches itself firmly to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying substance in your red blood cells. With the oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood diminished, your body's tissues and organs are starved of oxygen.

Large amounts of carbon monoxide can kill you in minutes, and even if you recover, the poison can cause permanent damage to any parts of your body which require large amounts of oxygen. While larger amounts can be fatal immediately, smaller amounts can poison you a little bit at a time.

You may suspect carbon monoxide poisoning if you have any one or all of the following symptoms: headaches, tightness across the chest, nausea, drowsiness, inattention or fatigue. If you feel ill when you're at home, get better when you leave for a day or two, and return only to feel ill again, your home may have a small, yet abnormal amount of carbon monoxide present.

Since the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are commonly dismissed as "post Christmas shopping syndrome" it makes it even more dangerous. If your hair turned electric blue on contact with dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide, it would be easy to catch and reverse any negative effects. However, since it doesn't, you should invest in a couple of carbon monoxide alarms.

The alarms range from twenty to eighty dollars, and can be found at your local hardware store. If you're living in a rented home or apartment, check with your landlord to see if he or she will pay for the alarms. Either way, if your home has any carbon monoxide producing devices, investing under one hundred dollars in a carbon monoxide detector could save your life. So cuddle up with that mug of steamy cappuccino in front of the fireplace, but only if your co detector is near by!

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Published: January 6, 2000

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