Article Contributed on: 11/23/2009 5:48:46 PM
Tragic deaths from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have led to a new law offering more protection from the deadly gas - and, safety officials say, increased awareness may also be saving lives.
Denver investment banker Parker Lofgren, his wife, Caroline and their children, Owen, 10 and Sophie, 8 died of carbon monoxide poisoning
in a home near Aspen over Thanksgiving weekend 2008 - a prize won in a fundraising campaign.
In early 2009, University of Denver grad student Lauren Johnson died of CO poisoning in her apartment.
Neither residence had a CO detector.
As a result of their deaths, legislation was drafted to require carbon monoxide detectors in new homes and apartments.
The new measure signed into law in March, was named the Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act.
Sixth District State Rep. Lois Court, one of the first sponsors of the bill in the Colorado House, said the tragedies raised awareness even before the bill was drafted.
"There was so much publicity that those things just flew off shelves everywhere. So even before we introduced the bill or it became law, I'm confident lives were saved."
Court said a constituent family from Lowry testified before lawmakers that they had stopped to buy a detector en route to a vacation home in Breckenridge. When it alarmed immediately, they had doubts, but contacted fire officials who found the home indeed was filling with CO fumes.
It's not every day that you get to pass a law that you know is saving lives," Court added.
Precautions to prevent CO poisoning are not difficult but do require a proactive attitude, according to first responders.
Long-time South Metro Fire Rescue paramedic supervisor Dave Zude says basics like maintaining and venting your furnace and wood burning stoves and fireplaces are a good start, as common sources of CO along with checking your water heater. Anything that burns fuel can be a source of colorless, odorless, lethal CO.
He recalled one instance last Thanksgiving when a family became ill when a car was left running to warm up in a garage. It doesn't take long for toxic levels to build up, Zude says.
Then there are the cases of people trying to heat homes using their gas range, or portable propane stoves and similar devices.
"Occasionally we'll also run into a situation where somebody will use a gas-powered tool in a house for demolition or construction," Zude said, recalling some workers who were using chain saws inside a home and were seriously affected by carbon monoxide.
Sometimes initial symptoms of carbon monoxide can be mistaken for other illness - the flu, for instance.
"You're going to experience a headache," Zude said, "you may get some nausea and vomiting and some shortness of breath in association with it ... and the shortness of breath isn't a common flu symptom," he said.
At higher levels of CO poisoning, Zude notes, there can be dizziness, light-headedness and altered levels of consciousness, confusion or losing consciousness.
"We don't want a rash of unnecessary calls, but we sure don't mind going out and investigating - we have the meters to check for the gas levels in the house to make sure whether there's carbon monoxide or not, he added."
Treat it the same way as if there is a fire in the house, Zude warns - get out and go to a neighbor's to call or use a cell phone outside.
There may also be an explosion hazard that goes along with carbon monoxide exposure, Zude points out, due to the incomplete combustion involved.
For more information, visit the South Metro Fire Rescue site:
http://www.southmetro.org.