And its symptoms are often attributed to something else, like the flue, too much to drink or overexertion.

A buddy and I were out drinking one night and instead of driving 35 miles home I ended up staying in his empty apartment, he had moved out but was paid up through the end of the month. It was December and the whole place was heated with those wall mounted gas heaters. I woke up the next morning and on the way home had to stop to thow up. I didn't think I'd drank that much. Once I got home I crawled in bed and stayed there for 3 days. Later I found out that the apartment had to be inspected before they could re-rent it and the ciy made them replace all the heaters because they were spewing CO. If that old aparetment had not been so drafty I probably never would have woke up. Plus if I'd just checked into the hospital and got some oxygen I'd have felt better in hours rather than days.
It may have helped that physically I was in the best shape of my life at the time, something going aganst us as we get older (i.e. 80 yr old twins) so everybody, take precautions.

 

Living here in a warm climate is a double-edged sword...not much need for furnaces but when it does get cold people have no clue as to how to use them safely. Every year there are deaths that could have easily been prevented with just a little education/awareness of the risks involved with non-vented heat sources. CO detectors are a must, I installed them in the folks home years ago before they passed just to be sure that something like what has been discussed here did not happen to them.

 

This article reminded me about a guy I used to work for who took his car to a warehouse that belonged to his company so he could change his own oil. They found him dead two days later after the car dropped on him. It's sounds like that shouldn't happen very often but do a google search about cars falling off jacks or jack stands killing people and you'd be shocked to see how many people have died from it. I'd bet the same goes for carbon monoxide deaths from running cars as well. The most used tool in your garage/shop has to become your brain because it only takes one dumb mistake to take you out forever. RIP to those men.

Wally

 

Man, I totally agree with that statement. I can't even count the number of times I've done something in my life that later when I look back I realize I could have been killed. The number per year has significantly lowered as I get older. I guess I'm just becoming more aware that I could actually get killed if I do something stupid, when you're younger you know you're going to live forever.

 

CO can kill outside the shop or home just as well. Case in point was my cousin. We was
towing a snow sled behind a 2 stroke snow machine. He fell off the sled and when we
got back to him he wouldn't wake up. This in a very remote Alaskan village that took
hours to get him to a hospital.

30 some years later he will pass out with any kind of CO leak long before anyone
beside him shows any effects.
I think it has something to do with it never completely leaves your system.