By MARIA DEL MORAL
Two weeks ago, Trisha Larsen spent a day in the hospital emergency room with carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I was told that this was risky enough of a problem that if I had slept through the night with a leak of carbon monoxide in the house, I would have not woken up the next day,” said Larsen, a senior from Logansport, Ind.
Last year, seven deaths in Utah were attributed to carbon monoxide intoxication and while cases are not common place, this number increases every winter because appliances that burn fuel are used more, said Janel Jorgenson, spokesperson for the Utah Safety Council.
Larsen isn’t the first BYU student that has been diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. Cindy Wilmhurst, an international development graduate student, was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning while living in BYU approved off-campus housing in 1995.
“It saddens me that although BYU was made aware of my poisoning in 1995 as well as the poisoning of several other BYU students, it appears that nothing has been done to take care of the problem,” she said.
BYU off-campus housing has guidelines that contract landlords to certain regulations, said John Pace, manager of BYU housing services.
“If we determine that the appliance is defected and the landlord does not fix immediately, we will remove the approval to be BYU housing approved,” Pace said.
Even though Larsen’s landlord replaced the faulty water heater that was leaking carbon monoxide gas, she said a detector should also have been provided to minimize risks.
However, BYU does not require landlords to put carbon monoxide detectors in houses or apartments because research has been done that they are not always effective, he said.
It’s a controversial issue because the effects of the gas are similar to other illnesses that may not be related to carbon monoxide poisoning, Pace said.
It causes symptoms similar to the flu, which includes headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, weakness, confusion and disorientation.
Carbon monoxide is often called the “silent killer” because it is a colorless, odorless gas that gives victims little or no warning of its presence. It can also cause death because it interferes with the delivery of oxygen to the body, according to the Utah Safety Council.
The Utah Safety Council recommends homeowners, landlords and renters to take the following preventative measures: 1. Gas appliances like furnaces, water heaters and boilers should be inspected by a professional and cleaned annually. 2. Flues should be open when using a fireplace. 3. Don’t use ovens or gas ranges as a heater. 4. Never use hibachi grills inside a home or any enclosed area. 5. Install a carbon monoxide detector.
For more information on carbon monoxide prevention contact the Utah Safety Council at (801)-262-5400 ext 303.
