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Christine Vernatter woke up Sunday morning in her Marshall County home very disoriented.
Her husband, Herschel Schooley, was drifting in and out of consciousness. Vernatter dialed 911 and that's when she discovered they were suffering from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
Vernatter's CO level was at 19 and Schooley's CO level was at 28, Christine's daughter, Rhonda Vernatter, said Wednesday. Rhonda said if Schooley's level had been two points higher, he would have been airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital.
"Thankfully, because she was able to get to a phone, they're OK now," Rhonda said.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless but highly toxic gas resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbon based fuels. These fuels may include gasoline, natural gas, propane, fuel oil, kerosene, wood, coal, charcoa, and tobacco. Information available at local enforcement agencies says dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can occur if fuel-burning appliances are not working properly or are used incorrectly.
The poisoning suffered by Vernatter and Schooley occurred when snow built up on the backside of their chimney and caused a backdraft of carbon monoxide. Their home was only nine years old, so they didn't expect to have such a problem, Rhonda said.
"It's taken care of now. We rectified the chimney Monday. They keep checking the CO detector 50 times a day, but they're OK," Rhonda said.
Bob Wheatley, spokesperson for the Carbon Monoxide Information Center, said common sources of carbon monoxide around the home include furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves, gas ranges, ovens, gas dryers, space heaters, charcoal or gas grills, vehicles and yard equipment. Ventilation problems also can cause carbon monoxide gases to build up, as was experienced by Vernatter and Schooley.
Michael Wilson, Warsaw Fire Department, said, "We do receive numerous calls on carbon monoxide alarms going off in family residences.
"We do more in the heating seasons than the non-heating seasons."
While Rhonda said she had detectors in her home, her mother and stepfather did not. Rhonda said her parents now own carbon monoxide detectors.
"We all have smoke detectors. The carbon monoxide detector is one more thing that can save a life," she said.
Wilson said, "We recommend that they should have some type of CO detection device in their home."
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may be mistaken for the flu or other illnesses.
At low levels, symptoms include headache, fatigue, sleepiness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, confusion, tightness in the chest and trouble breathing. At high levels, a person may experience loss of consciousness, coma and death within a short time. Exposure to lower levels over several hours may be as dangerous as exposure to higher levels for a few minutes.
The maximum amount of CO a person should be exposed to based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards is 35 parts per million, Wilson said. Exposure at that level should not exceed an eight hour shift.
"That's pretty much the allowable concentration," Wilson said.
Rhonda said her parents had suffered the low-level symptoms the night before, but didn't realize it.
Wheatley said there are 1,500 fatalities a year from accidental exposure of CO. An additional 10,000 CO injuries are reported.
"These numbers, we believe, are conservative. They are reported injuries. Because CO poisoning symptoms are flu-like, we believe CO poisoning gets reported as the flu," he said.
"We know from the medical community that anyone at either end of the (age) spectrum is at the greatest risk, primarily because it takes less of it to affect them."
Because CO is invisible and undetectable to the human senses, Wheatley said a CO detector is recommended.
"It's a vital piece of equipment that each home should have," he said.
An estimated 92 percent of homes have smoke alarms, Wheatley said, but only 17 percent have carbon monoxide detectors.
"People know and understand the importance of fire alarms. People need to understand the importance of CO detectors," he said. One manufacturer of CO detectors has developed a combination CO and smoke alarm, he said.
Wilson said, "We really don't get into recommendation as far as brand names. Some of the better ones give you a digital read-out so you can read it and know what the parts per million is."
Another way to prevent CO poisoning is to allow fresh air to circulate within the home, he said.
"We recommend that anyone who has a furnace room should be sure that they have enough fresh air to combat the combustion," he said.
A furnace can cause the flue of another appliance, such as a water heater stored close by, to flow backwards. The furnace doesn't care where it gets the air it needs as long as it gets air, and thus may cause a backdraft from the other appliance.
"The way to solve that is to have a hole there to allow air from the outside to flow in," Wheatley said.
Inspecting all appliances at least once a year also may help prevent CO poisoning.
If the CO alarm still goes off, Wheatley said, all members of the family should gather and determine if anyone is suffering any symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. If symptoms are noticed, all appliances should be turned off. The family should go outside and the fire department should be contacted, Wheatley said.
"CO attaches to the hemoglobin in the blood and prevents the blood from reaching the internal organs, such as the heart and the brain. Basically, a person suffocates from the inside out," he said.
"It's important that if you have CO poisoning that you get to a hospital immediately."
Wilson said, "It's a silent, deadly killer. It'll sneak right up on you."
Persons suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning should call 911 immediately.
