It's winter. John has been feeling "under the weather" all week.
He appears to be fine at work, but at home he experiences severe
headaches and weakness. He notices that other household members
are also ill and his young children are most severely affected.
Even the family pet does not seem to feel well. The medication
he purchased for the family to relieve their flu-like symptoms
did not seem to be working. What could be causing the family's
illness? The source of the family's illness is a kerosene heater
which has not been working properly. Malfunctioning gas, oil,
and kerosene heaters can release carbon monoxide gas (CO), which
presents a serious health threat. CO is a colorless, odorless,
tasteless, and non-irritating gas. These properties make CO
especially dangerous, because it cannot be detected without
special testing of the air quality. When inhaled, CO reduces the
amount of oxygen the blood can carry and the amount of oxygen
delivered to all vital organs. The organs at greatest risk of
injury are th