FIGHT BACK!  BY DAVID HOROWITZ

The Silent Killer
        
        Last month, tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis died suddenly  in his sleep while staying at a friend's 
beach cottage on  Long Island, N.Y. Gerulaitis was 40 years old, a trained  athlete and in good 
health. There was no trauma, no  indication of a heart attack and no sign that drugs or  alcohol 
were involved. But when the medical examiner's office  conducted an autopsy, it found Gerulaitis' 
blood was  saturated with carbon-monoxide gas -- far above the levels  considered lethal.      
Carbon monoxide is a killer by stealth.  Police did not realize it at the time, but their own  
investigators were at risk of poisoning when they entered the  cottage. The place was filled with 
carbon monoxide. But they  were unaware of the danger until they actually tested the air  inside 
the building.            
        Most people associate CO with the smell of smoke or ex- haust fumes. CO may be present in 
smoke or exhaust, but  carbon monoxide itself is colorless, odorless, and tasteless  and can reach 
deadly levels before the victim is ever aware  of its presence. Unlike other suffocating gases, CO 
does not  cause immediate choking or coughing. It is a systemic poison.  Early symptoms resemble 
flu. But a sleeping victim may die of  CO poisoning without ever waking. That's apparently what  
happened to Vitas Gerulaitis.           
        According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety  Commission, 250 people die of carbon 
monoxide poisoning every  year in this country. Some are fire victims trapped in  burning buildings 
and overcome by CO fumes before they can  escape. But the majority are killed by faulty heaters 
and  other sources of combustion in the home.                
        Normally, when hydrocarbon fuels like gas, kerosene,  wood or charcoal burn, the fire 
produces water vapor and non- toxic carbon dioxide. But when there is not enough oxygen for  
complete combustion, then the fire gives off carbon monoxide  instead. That can happen when a 
gas burner is out of  adjustment, vents are closed or the air filter is clogged.  It's also extremely 
dangerous to use a kitchen range,  unvented kerosene heater or charcoal barbecue for interior  
heating. As the oxygen in the room is gradually depleted by  burning, the fire is starved for air and 
begins producing  carbon monoxide, which can very quickly reach dangerous  levels in a closed 
building.            
        Preventing these tragedies is neither complicated nor  expensive. Battery-powered CO 
detectors cost as little as $30  and work just like smoke alarms. When levels of carbon  monoxide 
in a room become dangerously high, the alarm is  triggered and the residents know to get out into 
the open  air. The city of Chicago recently enacted an ordinance re- quiring CO detectors in all 
homes, apartments and public  buildings. But it doesn't take a law to make the point that  CO 
detectors are a good investment in home protection.          
        You should also have chimneys and flues inspected and  have any blockages or leaks 
repaired. All gas appliances  should be inspected and adjusted, and their vents should be  
checked at least once a year. Local gas companies usually do  these safety inspections at no 
cost. Finally, never use a  portable kerosene or gas heater in a closed room, and never  bring an 
outdoor barbecue indoors for heating. That's  inviting the silent killer right into your home.            
            If you have any questions or comments, please write to  David Horowitz in the Consumer 
Forum+ (go FIGHTBACK). COPYRIGHT 1994 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.