[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            A SILENT KILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 28, 1996

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, State Representative Dorothy Pelote of 
Savannah, GA has been educating the members of the Georgia General 
Assembly, as well as the entire State of Georgia, about the dangers of 
a silent killer, carbon monoxide poisoning.
  In an effort to assist Representative Pelote, I am submitting the 
following information to educate my fellow Members of Congress as well 
as the Nation about the dangers of this deadly gas.

                            A Silent Killer

       In September of 1995, tennis star Vitus Gerulaitis died in 
     his sleep in his home from carbon monoxide fumes from a pool 
     heater.
       A Cleveland, Ohio man, John Reed, his three children, a 
     family friend and the family dog all died shortly before 
     Christmas from carbon monoxide poisoning as the result of a 
     bird's nest blocking their home's furnace flue.
       While deaths such as these are shocking, I was even more 
     astounded to learn that more than 250 people die in their 
     homes each year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning and 
     another 3,900 are made ill. (According to the U.S. Consumer 
     Product Safety Commission.)
       Most of the victims of this ``silent killer,'' like 
     Gerulaitis and the Reed family, fall asleep and never wake 
     up.
       According to an article by Cora Daniels, staff writer for 
     the Asbury Park Press, carbon monoxide is a colorless, 
     odorless gas that is a byproduct of incomplete combustion, or 
     burning with limited oxygen. When it is inhaled, it is 
     absorbed into the blood and displaces oxygen by latching onto 
     hemoglobin, the molecule that carries the blood's oxygen 
     throughout the body.
       While early symptoms can seem like a case of the flu, 
     increased exposure can cause heart attacks, brain damage, 
     coma and death. The humans do not detect carbon monoxide 
     until they have already been poisoned.
       The gas is especially harmful to an unborn fetus, which can 
     be permanently damaged while the mother goes relatively 
     unaffected. Young children, the elderly, smokers and those 
     with heart or respiratory conditions are also more at risk.
       Better insulated houses resulting from the fuel crisis of 
     the 1970's has lead to the increased dangers of carbon 
     monoxide buildup. In most instances, carbon monoxide seeps 
     into the home through faulty heaters that use fuels like oil, 
     natural gas, kerosene, coal or wood. Carbon monoxide can also 
     come from fireplaces with inadequate ventilation, clothes 
     dryers, water heaters, and cars warming up in attached 
     garages.
       Since 1973, carbon monoxide detectors have been available, 
     with approximately 20 different kinds of detectors on the 
     market, costing anywhere from $50 to $100.
       I urge the American public to be more aware of the hazards 
     of this silent killer and learn how to prevent it from 
     happening to themselves and their loved ones.
     
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