From: Katharine Thayer (kthayer@pacifier.com)
Date: 06/26/01-01:37:56 AM Z
A couple people have written me about carbon monoxide detectors, and
since this is such a serious matter I thought I'd tell you all what I
told them:
Do not assume that a carbon monoxide detector will protect you! I had
one in place during the whole time I was being poisoned. It was only
after it was all over that I found the small-type footnote in the user's
manual that warns that levels of carbon monoxide below the alarm
threshold can be dangerous to life and health. The detector will wake
you and get you out of the house in the case of a sudden extreme rise
in carbon monoxide that could kill you in minutes. It will do nothing at
all for you in the case of a slow leak, where you're not getting enough
CO to set off the detector, but enough to accumulate in your system,
starving your lungs, heart, brain of oxygen over days, weeks and months.
I was wrongly diagnosed with several different things during this
process, including pneumonia and a coronary artery blockage. Luckily I
got the oil tank filled and some sediment clogged the nozzles and made
the furnace quit running, and the guy who came out said the furnace was
broken and dangerous and must not be used. Otherwise, I probably would
have been dead before anyone figured it out.
I guess the bottom line is: definitely have a carbon monoxide detector,
but also have your furnace checked often.
Katharine
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