Carbon Monoxide, Crafty Killer, Spreads Quickly

SEATTLE -- Local doctors are calling it the worst epidemic of carbon monoxide poisoning in the history of the United States.

As many as 1,000 Western Washington residents became ill during this winter's wind, rain and snow storms, and more than half a dozen died, including an entire family in Burien.

All fell victim to a crafty killer.

Just a week before last Christmas, neighbors and friends of a Burien family were shocked to learn that everyone in the house had collapsed overnight.

Four were found dead. One died a few weeks later. All succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning following a terrific windstorm that knocked out power to more than one million people in the Pacific Northwest.

The culprit? A gas-powered electric generator running non-stop in the family garage.

"You know, I can't believe people die," said a family friend.

Tammie and Wayne Fagerlund can believe it. His doctors say Wayne Fagerlund was within minutes of dying in the same December storm.

Concerned about damage to his wholesale nursery near Yelm, Fagerlund had decided to ride out the windstorm in a trailer.

Then, the power went out.

Faced with a dark, cold night, Fagerlund fired up his gasoline generator.

What he didn't realize is that he placed it in a deadly spot.

"During the night (a) little trap door opened up, so fumes went up in there. The bed is … directly above where I had the generator," he said.

As the generator droned on, he began to develop a headache.

"I didn't put the two things together," he said. "I think I was getting a little rummy from the carbon monoxide, too, but it didn't click that this could be carbon monoxide poisoning."

He was found by his worried wife the next morning. She was horrified by what she saw.

"He was (lying) on the bed, just totally prone with his arms straight, his legs straight, his head up, his mouth open, his eyes open and was totally unconscious," she said. "It was like, 'Oh, my gosh. He's dead!'"

Tammie called for help.

"The first thing the medics said was, 'Turn off the generator, open the windows and get out of here.' You know, they took one look at him and said, 'carbon monoxide,'" Tammie Fagerlund said.

He was flown to the hyperbaric chamber at Seattle's Virginia Mason hospital.

He underwent immediate treatment to replace the carbon monoxide in his bloodstream with highly-pressurized oxygen.

The chamber saved Wayne Fagerlund's life, and the lives of 70 other patients brought here during that storm, suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

We asked the Shoreline Fire Department to demonstrate how quickly carbon monoxide can weaken, then kill.

The department started a single generator in its large and airy training center.
Firefighters use sophisticated breathing gear and carry a sensitive carbon monoxide detector any time they suspect danger.

In our test, that danger began within minutes.

Right now, it's reading 46 parts per million and climbing and our alarm goes off at 37. [37? That's way to high to just then sound the alarm...as you can see when you continue reading from there it can hit the hundreds very quickly. A good, low-level CO detector is needed here. Wonder if they know about the Pocket CO from www.transducertech.com. It's small enough for them to clip onto their belt, pocket, or lapel so carrying it is a non-issue. There really is no excuse for not having one.]
Within just 20 minutes the detector passed the century mark, making this firefighter glad this was only a test.

"Right now, it's at a real lethal range, right now," said a firefighter.

Lethal, because as Wayne Fagerlund learned, carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible. In short, it's an extremely crafty killer.

"People aren't aware of it because they can't smell it, they can't see it, and at some point they start to lose their judgment and it can kill them," said Shoreline Fire Marshal Mark Bunje.

It's a lesson Fagerlund wants everyone to learn.

"Don't think you're safe," he said.

You can become safer by following a few simple precautions:

If you must use a generator, place it outside, well away from any enclosed living spaces.

Never burn charcoal or propane inside your home or garage.

And install carbon monoxide detectors on every floor. As we've seen, it's easy to get sick or even
die from carbon monoxide, but it's a deadly danger that can be prevented.