Carbon monoxide detectors save lives.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of poisoning deaths, and poisoning is second only to traffic injuries as the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States. Approximately half of CO poisoning deaths in residences could be prevented by detectors.

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Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that causes headaches, nausea and fatigue, and is often mistaken for the flu because it goes undetected in a home. Prolonged exposure can lead to brain damage and even death. Often referred to as a "silent killer," carbon monoxide poisoning caused on average 439 deaths and more than 15,000 visits to hospital emergency departments per year from 1999-2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In November 2008, four members of a Colorado family were killed by carbon monoxide while they were vacationing in Aspen. Shortly after, a graduate student at the University of Denver died in her apartment from CO exposure. As a result of these highly publicized deaths, the Colorado General Assembly passed a law...