CO detector could save students

One lesson Hoosiers have learned since four IU students succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in a house fire a year ago -- the priceless value of a carbon monoxide detector.\nSophomore Nicholas Habicht, junior Joseph Alexander and junior Jacob Surface died May 22, 2004 from carbon monoxide, or CO, fumes radiating from an electrical fire. A CO detector might or might not have saved the students from death, but sole survivor and senior Paul Dayment said a CO detector should be a common sight in student housing across campus to prevent tragedies like the one he endured. \n"The entire experience is kind of like a dream," Dayment said. "It had been a pretty normal evening, nothing unusual occurred. The carbon monoxide spread so quickly. All I remember was feeling discombobulated -- so disoriented I couldn't do anything. My first real solid memory is waking up in the hospital in Indy." \nDayment lived in the house with Habicht and Alexander. Dayment and Habicht were flown to Indianapolis by Lifeline.\nCO is described by health experts a colorless and odorless gas or liquid produced when any fuel is burned. Sources of CO include unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; gas water heaters, gas stoves and automobile exhaust from attached garages according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. \nAppliances fueled with natural gas, oil, kerosene, coal or wood produce CO, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Burning charcoal and gasoline also produce CO.\nDayment said the fire started in the main area living room, where a lot of burn damage was present. He said smoke damage was apparent throughout the house because the fire had no outside oxygen air to assist with its breathing.\n"We had lived in that house for two years. There was no reason to think there was a fire hazard," \nDayment said. "The windows were shut and the air conditioning was on. I wish it never would have happened."\nAdverse health effects of CO depend on the level of CO present in the blood, the length of CO exposure and the individual's health condition before exposure. CO poisoning inhibits oxygen intake through the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood. According to the EPA, low concentrations of carbon monoxide cause fatigue and chest pain. Higher concentrations often cause impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; and confusion. \nAbout 500 Americans died from non-fire related CO poisoning from 2001 to 2003, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 15,000 CO poisonings are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments. \nA Bloomington resident or student's first line of defense from CO poisoning is to obtain a CO detector, a device providing an early warning before the gas builds up to death proportions. These can be bought at most hardware stores and major corporate retailers within town.\nHolly Spitz, a Bloomington Hardware customer service specialist, said CO detectors range in price from $25 to $55 depending on the features. She said interested patrons can locate various kinds of CO detection equipment near the fire extinguishers, Tiki torches and propane fuel tanks. \n"We've got 6 different kinds, and we have a couple that detect both carbon monoxide and smoke," Spitz said. "You just plug them in and go. I've recently sold a ton of them myself."\nDayment said he thanks god for the Bloomington Fire Department rescue person -- "half my size" -- who pulled him out of the house.\n"You don't think it can happen to you and then it does," Dayment said. "Students should have fire detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. They should also have an emergency plan. Not a day goes by that I don't think about the fire."\n-- Contact Senior Writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.