A Bountiful family came close to losing their lives last night.
Today they're telling people about the dangers of the silent killer-- carbon monoxide.
The deadly gas was the result of a faulty furnace, and investigators say if the family would have stayed in the house for even a few more minutes, it could have been deadly.
News Specialist Lisa Conley has the story.
This year in Utah an estimated 40 people will die from carbon monoxide poisoning in their homes, a deadly gas that is odorless and colorless. And quite often, by the time you know it's there, it's too late.
Julie Mounteer: "I FEEL INCREDIBLY LUCKY AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW LUCKY UNTIL THEY TOLD US ANOTHER HALF AN HOUR OR SO IN THE HOUSE AND WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE WOKEN UP OR WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OKAY."
Julie Mounteer is understanding now the dangers of carbon monoxide. Last night as she and her two teenagers slept, her furnace was seeping dangerously high levels of the poisonous gas into their home.
This morning with a severe headache and dizziness they knew something was wrong.
"SHE KIND OF WALKED DOWN THE HALL AND WAS STUMBLING AND COULDN'T STAND UP VERY WELL, AND SHE KIND OF FELL DOWN IN THE BATHROOM. THEN I THOUGHT, I'M GONNA JUST CALL MY DAD AND SEE WHAT HE THINKS."
Dee Packer: "I JUST IMMEDIATELY KNEW FROM TRAINING I'VE HAD IN THE PAST THAT THERE COULD BE A CARBON MONOXIDE PROBLEM. SO I INDICATED TO THEM THAT THEY SHOULD GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND THEN I CALLED THE EMERGENCY PEOPLE AND THEY RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY."
Julie's father was right. Emergency crews found toxic levels in the home and high enough levels in their bloodstreams that the three of them had to spend three hours in a hyperbaric chamber receiving an intense oxygen treatment.
This eye-opening experience has Julie sending out this piece of advice.
"DEFINITELY GO GET ONE OF THOSE-- I HEAR THEY'RE RATHER INEXPENSIVE-- CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS, AND HAVE IT CHECKED OUT, BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW. LIKE I SAID, I SAW A FAMILY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO ON THE NEWS THAT THIS HAPPENED TO AND I KEPT MEANING TO GO DO IT. SO GO DO IT. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY."
Carbon Monoxide can be deadly in as little as five minutes. It is responsible for more deaths than any other poison.
Gas appliances, furnaces and even fireplaces can release toxic levels of the gas.
People with anemia or with a history of heart or respiratory disease are even more susceptible to the deadly gas.
Hundreds of people die every year from malfunctioning appliances in the home,
but even more die from carbon monoxide produced by idling cars.
At low levels, you or your family may experience shortness of breath, mild nausea and headaches.
If it presists, the symptoms may include severe headaches and nausea, dizziness and mental confusion.
Dec. 10, 2001
