Consumer News And Recalls

Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide

WORCESTER (CBS4) ― As cold weather begins to set in here in New England, there is an important seasonal safety reminder. Most deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning occur in fall and winter. And the most common cause is defects in your home heating system.

CBS4 videographer Kent Earle was at work Tuesday night when his wife was awakened by their carbon monoxide detector. She grabbed their daughter, called 911 and left of the house. They're alright. But the fire department told Kent and his family something that shook them up.

"I don't even want to think about what would have happened," Kent says. "They told me that this is exactly how people die."

That's why fire safety experts say it's important to have a carbon monoxide detector. "The money spent on these is very short and very cheap," says Frank Diliddo of the Worcester Fire Department, "and the dividends can not be calculated."

District Chief Diliddo says even new appliances pose risks. "It's not the appliance itself that's of concern to us. It's the venting mechanism," he says. "And if not properly vented, that's where you'll get your carbon monoxide build up which will come back into the house."

Doctor Kathy Notarianni, Director of Fire Safety Studies at Worcester Polytech Institute says even the newest heating system can not protect you as a carbon monoxide detector can.

"Short of getting sick, there is no other way, no way at all to know that there is a build up of carbon monoxide in your house," she explains. "Carbon monoxide is odorless. It's colorless. It's invisible. There is no other way to know."

Doctor Notarianni, a mother of three, says the best place for a carbon monoxide detector is within 15 feet of the sleeping area. If it goes off, leave the house immediately and call 911.

300-500 people are killed each year from carbon monoxide poisoning. But many jurisdictions don't require carbon monoxide detectors.

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