Press Articles

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, "Carbon monoxide death leads to lawsuit"

          He was pronounced dead there, the same day he planned to see his doctor about his poor state of health, according to the lawyer representing Watson's parents.
          The lawsuit accuses the property owners of failing to properly maintain, inspect or repair the heating and exhaust system at 2005 Dewey Ave., among other charges. Those failures, the suit says, caused Watson to be exposed to noxious gases over a period of several months, during which time he suffered from vomiting and severe headaches.

Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT), "Carbon Monoxide Kills Man; Wife Ill"

          A man was found dead and a woman seriously poisoned by carbon monoxide Wednesday in their Bar Harbor Road townhouse condominium in the north end of town. The tragedy may have been caused by a car left running in the couple's garage, underneath the condo. The husband and wife, believed to be in their 50s, were not immediately identified, pending notification of relatives.
          The couple was found in bed in a second-floor bedroom about 5 p.m, A person in a neighboring unit called 911 at 4:46 p.m. after his carbon monoxide alarm sounded. Firefighters got high carbon monoxide readings in the next unit and opened the garage using a remote control in the couple's car, which was parked outside.
          The bedroom is on the floor above the garage.

Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), Albemarle Inn Sued Over Blaze

          A New York lawyer injured in a November fire at the Clifton Inn and the husbands of two others who died in the blaze are suing the Albemarle County retreat's owners, with one suit alone seeking $10 million. The lawsuits claim that windows in the rooms where the women died did not work and that employees left the inn with several candles and fireplaces still ablaze. A headboard blocked the only window in the injured woman's room, according to court documents.
          Billie Kelly and Patricia Langlade, two recruiters from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a New York law firm, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the fire, according to the state Medical Examiner's Office. Margaret Mansouri, another lawyer for Willkie Farr staying at the inn, was rescued and treated for smoke inhalation.
          The three women, all University of Virginia alumnae, were among nine recruiters visiting the University of Virginia of Law.

The New York Times, "Providing Electricity When the Power Fails"

          June 1 was the official start of the hurricane season. And while for most people, the event probably passed unnoticed, it was the signal for home centers and hardware stores to roll out their supplies of emergency backup generators.
          Because portable generators create carbon monoxide, they can also be dangerous to owners. Ken Giles, a spokesman for the Consumer Products Safety Commission in Washington, said that running a generator in a safe location outdoors is critical. ''People put them in basements, in attached garages and just outside their kitchen window,'' he said. ''And all of those options are hazardous.''
           Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so a homeowner might not realize that the deadly gas is seeping into the house until it is too late. ''We found out you could get fatal blood levels from carbon monoxide in as little as 30 minutes,'' he said, adding that 36 people died last year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators.

Associated Press, "Miami tenants settle lawsuits over carbon monoxide poisoning"

         A total of over $30 million was paid to seven former tenants of Terra Cotta Apartments near Miami Lakes, as well as two other family members who were not injured. The plaintiffs alleged a broken water heater spewed the noxious gas, causing blackouts and brain damage.
          A settlement was reached in February in the case of Oveta Forbes, who died a day after moving into an apartment at the complex which had previously been closed by the Department of Health. Her teenage daughter and two friends were comatose for days.

The Guardian, "Be on the lookout for carbon monoxide poisoning at home"

          We've all heard of depressed people using CO in a closed garage to commit suicide. But we forget that recreational vehicles, poorly ventilated cabins, malfunctioning kerosene space heaters, fire places and wood stoves also pose a potential threat.
          This winter one child in Montreal died and others required emergency care when they were left inside idling cars. Deep snow had blocked the car's tailpipe.
          The best protection against carbon monoxide poisoning is to have a CO detector installed in the home near bedrooms. Vitas Gerulaitis, the tennis star, would be alive today if he had installed a CO detector. A faulty pool heater caused seepage of lethal CO fumes into his home.

The Associated Press, "Bill requires boats to post carbon monoxide warnings"

          Boats would have to post a sticker warning of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, under a bill approved Tuesday by the California State Assembly. The bill would also outlaw "teak surfing" - a practice that involves riding wakes while holding on to the swim platform of slow-moving boats.
          Most boaters aren't aware they are breathing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide from the boat's engine when they do that, said Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, the bill's author. "Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous because you can't see it, smell it or taste it," he said, "and high levels of it can kill you in minutes."

Palm Beach Daily Business Review, "Summary of Bowden v. General Motors Corp."

          The estate of a 52-year-old truck driver who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping in his tractor was awarded $4.43 million by a jury on April 23.
          Robert Nelson went to sleep in his Freightliner tractor at a rest area in Bowling Green, Ky., and was found dead the next day by two other drivers for Phoenix-based Swift Transportation, Nelson's employer. Nelson's estate sued the tractor's manufacturer, Freightliner LLC, Portland, Ore., and its owners, Swift Transportation and Interstate Equipment Leasing Inc., Phoenix, for products liability.

Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT), "Portable Generators Linked to Rise in Carbon Monoxide Deaths"

          The number of reported carbon monoxide [CO] poisoning deaths in the United States caused by portable generators doubled in just two years, according to a new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
          In 2003, the CPSC had reports of 36 deaths from portable-generator-related carbon monoxide poisoning, compared with 18 such deaths in 2001.
          "If you use a gasoline-powered generator, set it up outside in a dry area, away from air intakes to the home," CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton said in a prepared statement. "Opening doors and windows or operating fans to ventilate will not prevent CO build-up in the home. Even with a CO alarm, you should never use a gasoline-powered generator inside your home or in a garage," Stratton said.

The Kansas City Star, "Generating danger"

          More people are using portable gas-powered generators at home, leading to more deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning and a government warning Thursday about the machines' proper use.
          The generators have become more popular as people seek to keep their power on during outages such as the blackout last summer.
          The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 40 deaths in 2003 from carbon monoxide poisoning and 30 in 2002. By comparison, there were only 38 total deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2000 and 2001.
          "People are using generators when tornadoes, hurricanes, flood and other disasters knock out electricity," commission spokesman Ken Giles said. "But people don't realize how severe the carbon monoxide danger is. You do not smell it, you do not see it."
          The safety commission said 70 percent of the fatalities occurred because consumers had placed the generators in a basement or an enclosed garage with improper ventilation.

Palm Beach Post (Florida), "Officials Warn Generators Give Off Deadly Gas"

          Twice as many people died nationwide of carbon monoxide poisoning from misusing portable power generators in the last two years than in previous years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
          The federal agency linked its announcement to the start of hurricane season on June 1; people have risked or lost their lives by running generators inside their homes after storms knocked out power. But the commission said the dangers are present year-round, especially during winter months.
          Carbon monoxide poisoning has killed or injured many in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. In September, an elderly couple died after apparently leaving their car running in their suburban Delray Beach garage. And in September 2002, west of Lake Worth, a couple and their teen son died after running a generator in their garage when their power was cut off for nonpayment.
          Carbon monoxide, the No. 1 cause of poisoning in the United States, is a colorless, odorless gas. Initially it can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and confusion. Authorities recommend people use a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector in their home.

Associated Press, "U.S. Warns Consumers on Generator Dangers"

          More people are using portable gas-powered generators at home, leading to more deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning and a government warning Thursday about the machine's proper use.
          The generators have become more popular as people seek to keep their power on during outages such as the blackout last summer.
          Last August, the nation's largest blackout thrust 50 million people into darkness in eight states from Michigan to New York, as well as parts of Canada. Industry experts have said that although power grid operators have upgraded technology and become better coordinated, widespread outages are still a risk.
          Many consumers reported using generators indoors during the Aug. 14 blackout and when Hurricane Isabel knocked out power in thousands of homes last September.

        Safety experts offered the following tips:

-set generators up in a dry area outside, away from air intakes to the home.

-opening doors and windows for ventilation is inadequate to prevent carbon monoxide buildup when generators are placed in the home or garage; the best place is an open carport.

-signs of possible monoxide poisoning include flu-like symptoms such as headache or fatigue.

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), "State Parks official warns of carbon monoxide threat"

          The dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning may not be obvious when sitting on an open air boat in the middle of a mountain lake. But that seemingly fresh air could contain a odorless fume that can kill.
          "People think about carbon monoxide as being something associated with factory workers or cars in a garage, not with boating," said Dave Harris, director of boating for Utah State Parks and Recreation. "There have been cases where swimmers in excellent health have drowned right behind the boat for no apparent reason."
          Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by inboard and outboard engines, generators and space or water heaters. The gas steals a person's oxygen by entering the bloodstream through the lungs. Exposure to low concentrations for a long time or high concentrations for a short time can be fatal.
          CO poisoning is not always fatal, but there is a higher possibility of death when it happens in or near the water.
          "People pass out and they end up drowning from something that may not have killed them on land," Harris said. "There have been a number of cases in the past where people died and it was just assumed they had a heart attack. Many of those cases could have been carbon monoxide poisoning."

Tampa Tribune, "Jury Awards Family $4.4 Million In Death Of Trucker At Roadside"

          For long-distance truck drivers, a sleeper cab is home, with air conditioning, computer links and a bed. But a month after Robert Bruce Nelson picked up a new 2000 Freightliner Century Class - described by its manufacturer as "the most evolved truck on the road'' - he was found dead after sleeping overnight at a rest stop.
          On April 23 in U.S. District Court in Orlando, a jury awarded $4.4 million to Nelson's widow, Kristine, and 22- year-old son, Steven. The jury agreed that the cause of Nelson's death was carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by a defect with the truck.
          Jeff Fisher, director of corporate communications for Freightliner Corp., said last week that the company will appeal. "We still believe the deceased died of natural causes." Freightliner is North America's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, and Fisher stressed that no flaw could be found in the exhaust system and no similar claim has been made against its product. The diesel trucks are designed to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the cabs.
          Nelson's attorney said it doesn't matter that no defect was found. "The circumstances themselves [Nelson's death] proved the defect. No matter where the exhaust comes from,'' Nelson's truck or others parked nearby, it shouldn't be getting into the cab. An autopsy was performed by a medical examiner found a 67 percent saturation of Nelson's blood with carbon monoxide. The cause of death was amended to "carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicle exhaust.'' Nelson's family sued Freightliner; Swift, the nation's largest publicly held truckload carrier; and Interstate Equipment Leasing Co., the owner of the truck Nelson was buying.

The Vancouver Sun (British Columbia), "Death caves claim 3 more U.S. teens: Carbon monoxide poisoning from a smouldering fire is blamed for the deaths"

          A labyrinth of caves left by 1800s sandstone miners along the Mississippi River has long been a forbidden and sometimes deadly thrill for teenagers, who ignore the keep-out signs and thwart the city's best efforts to seal off the passages.
          On Tuesday, the caves again proved lethal: Three teens died, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, perhaps from a fire smouldering inside the caverns.
          Killed were Nicholas Lee Larson, Natalie Lorraine Vanvorst and Patrick Gerard Dague, all 17. A 17-year-old boy was rescued and his condition was upgraded Wednesday from critical to serious. A fourth boy escaped and alerted authorities.

The Ledger (Lakeland, FL), "Jury Awards Man's Widow, Son $4.4 Million; Trucker Died of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning"

          The widow and son of a Bartow man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning while he slept in his semitrailer have been awarded about $ 4.4 million by a federal jury. Kristine Mary Nelson, a former Bartow resident who now lives in Canada, sued three companies in U.S. District Court in Orlando.
          Her husband, Robert Bruce Nelson, who was a truck driver, died June 8, 2000, as he slept in his semitrailer in Bowling Green, Ky. "The truck was defective and resulted in his death," Nelson’s attorney stated. Nelson had the truck with the sleeper cab for only one month, Frost said. The model of the truck was supposed to allow for drivers to sleep in the cab while the truck was running, he said.
          On Friday, a jury awarded Kristine Nelson and son, Steven Nelson, about $ 4.4 million for loss of support and services, loss of companionship, loss of parental companionship, and mental pain and suffering, according to court documents.

Scripps Howard News Service, "California bill warns of lethal boating danger"

          Toxicology results confirmed the unimaginable: both children had died, in open air, from the simple act of breathing. In incidents separated by hundreds of miles and three years, 15-year-old Stacy Beckett, of Ontario, Calif., and 11-year-old Anthony Farr, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., drowned after inhaling extremely high levels of carbon monoxide while body surfing behind ski boats.
          "The Anthony Farr and Stacy Beckett Boating Safety Act of 2004," introduced by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would ban the sport of bodysurfing behind boats, also known as "teak surfing" or "teak dragging," and would require ski boat manufacturers to place warning stickers about carbon monoxide poisoning on all ski boats, old and new.
Since about 1990, according to information compiled for the U.S. Coast Guard, about 100 people in the United States have died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on or near boats.
          In California, dozens have been poisoned in recent years - many of them fatally.
          Calling the industry's efforts to address the problem "woefully inadequate," Koretz said that, in the short run, manufacturers should embark upon educational campaigns, but in the long run needed to look toward changing boat design and engine technology. "Each one of these tragic deaths was preventable," he said.
          Dr. Robert Baron, co-director at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, and medical director for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, has studied a spate of such poisonings in his area. He told the committee that carbon monoxide levels of 1,200 parts per million can prove a danger to health and life, and that levels of over 12,000 parts per million can kill a person in three minutes. Levels behind a moving boat, he added, have frequently been measured at more than twice that concentration.

The Arizona Republic, "Boating's Deadly Secret; People Must Learn Dangers of Carbon Monoxide"

          Teak surfing, taking a ride by hanging onto the swim platform of a boat, looks like harmless fun. But there's a deadly and invisible danger: carbon monoxide.
          Colorless and odorless, the lethal gas lingers around the exhaust of ski boats, houseboats and other watercraft. As we head into high season for boating, too many people hit the water with no idea of the threat of carbon monoxide.
          We need to make sure the public knows how to reduce the risk and recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. In the long run, we need changes in boat design and engines to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.
          The focus was originally on houseboats, but health officials are now warning of risks from ski boats. Nationally, there have been 42 cases of people who were poisoned while on the platform at the back of the boat: 17 of them died, and 14 lost consciousness.
          We wouldn't dream of standing around by the tailpipe of a car in the garage when the engine is running. We need the same understanding of the hazards of boat exhaust.
          Teak surfing is just too dangerous to do. So is being dragged along or water-skiing within 20 feet of the boat.
          Carbon monoxide can also reach high levels when boats are congregated, moving slowly or idling.
          In the long run, boat manufacturers should make their products safer for the public. Through more efficient engine design and pollution-reducing equipment, car engines produce far fewer hazardous emissions than in the past. Boats need to catch up.
          And they have a long way to go. The emissions from a ski boat are the equivalent of 188 cars running their exhaust pipes into the same spots.

Omaha World Herald (Nebraska), "Sarpy County death tied to carbon monoxide"

          Accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning claimed the life of a Sarpy County man who died in his home last week, authorities have ruled.
          Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless gas produced when fuels burn incompletely. Exposure can cause sleepiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, shortness of breath and convulsions. Without fresh air, you can die.

Safety tips:

- Inspect furnaces and all fuel-burning equipment annually.
- Install a carbon-monoxide detector.
- Don't leave a car running in an attached garage.
- Don't use charcoal grills or unvented space heaters indoors.
- Don't use a gas range or oven to heat a room.
- Get your vehicle's muffler and tailpipes checked regularly.
- Open the car windows if you stop for any length of time while the engine is running.

The Arizona Republic, "Gas Danger for Boaters, Swimmers"

          Boaters, beware. Despite multiple studies and strategies to reduce carbon monoxide emissions from recreational boats, swimmers and boaters still risk being poisoned by the odorless, colorless gas.
          At least 17 people have died and 37 have been injured since 1990, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that's likely an underestimate, because most people aren't tested for carbon monoxide poisoning and often, if they drown, their deaths are attributed to something else, such as alcohol.
          Last year, the Arizona Department of Health Services tested boaters near the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. The level of carbon monoxide in the blood of those studied increased the longer they were outdoors in the area during the Memorial Day weekend. A similar study by the CDC of employees working in the area found concentrations greater than 30 percent, indicating severe poisoning.
          The DHS deemed the situation at Lake Havasu City "a public health hazard."The problem originally was identified in houseboats. But carbon monoxide also is found in powerboats used for jet-skiing and teak-surfing, in which someone holds the swim platform on the back of the boat and is dragged along.

The Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, UK), "Gassed to Death"

          A freak series of conditions combined to kill a retired teacher as he made marmalade, an inquest heard. Keith Turnbull, 61, was cooking up the preserve while his isolated cottage turned into a gas chamber. He is believed to have been heating marmalade oranges in a large cauldron on a Calor gas stove when he collapsed.
          Coroner Eric Armstrong, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, told of the mystery that first surrounded the death of Mr. Turnbull, of Wark, Northumberland, who had led a distinguished career in teaching and biochemistry research. A pathologist said his death appeared to be from carbon monoxide poisoning but there was no definite cause of death.
          Experts from gas safety watchdog CORGI were called in to test the stove. They found that a "bizarre" combination of circumstances had led to a lethal build-up of the gas as Mr. Turnbull worked in the enclosed kitchen space.
          One of the two burners on the stove burned with a yellow flame a sign of potential danger and the size of the 15in- diameter cauldron was possibly another factor. The investigators' report concluded carbon monoxide had been produced through incomplete combustion involving the impingement of the flame on the cauldron surface.

The Associated Press, "Bill would require carbon monoxide detectors in homes"

          Carbon monoxide detectors would be required in most Alaska homes under a bill that passed the House on Wednesday. Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, said the requirement could save lives and protect children whose developing brains can be damaged by continuous exposure to even low levels of the gas.
          The mandate would work similarly to an existing requirement that homes have smoke detectors. In rental homes, landlords would have to install the detectors, and tenants would be responsible for replacing batteries if needed and making sure the detectors are working.
          In Anchorage last December, a family of five died from inhaling the poisonous gas. "It's the kind of killer that people are very unsuspecting of," Gatto said.
          Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas with no odor or taste that results from an incomplete combustion of natural gas and other materials containing carbon such as gasoline, kerosene, oil, propane, coal or wood.

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), "Authorities Say Detectors Are Key to Saving Lives; An Odorless Threat"

          For years, experts have issued warnings about carbon monoxide's invisible and odorless stealth. Three deaths discovered Wednesday underscored the message.
          Two men and a woman died and a child was sickened after the poisonous gas filled a garage where two of the victims were and seeped into adjacent homes. Carbon monoxide is the result of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, and is created anywhere there is combustion -- engines, burning wood, gas or coal and in stoves.
          In 2000, there were 29 accidental deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning and another 50 or so suicides in Wisconsin. Carbon monoxide and other poisonings is the second most common cause of suicide fatalities after guns, according to Medical College of Wisconsin data.
          Because it's nearly impossible to detect, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as fire departments recommend the installation of a carbon-monoxide detector near sleeping areas and another near the furnace.

Agence France Presse, "Dozens at French restaurant suffer carbon monoxide poisoning"

          About 50 people dining at a restaurant in eastern France Sunday suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because of a malfunctioning wood stove and were hospitalized, rescue services said.
          Authorities were alerted when two people complained they were feeling ill and were immediately taken to a hospital near the Alsatian town of Kogenheim.
          Firefighters called to the scene measured three times the normal level of carbon monoxide in the restaurant, prompting the evacuation of all 70 customers.