Silencing the silent killer.

• Position: What's New? - Carbon monoxide kills more than 2,000 people a year

Crisp winter weather--and don't kid yourself, there's still plenty of it left--can bring more than runny noses and cold toes. Along with the chilly weather comes a danger--the deadly odorless reach of carbon monoxide. This fatal gas kills more than 2,000 people a year, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that 64% of unintentional CO poisoning deaths occur in the home and approximately 10,000 people annually seek medical attention for unintentional poisoning caused by a house-related consumer product. Yet, as many as three-quarters of homes in the U.S. do not have carbon monoxide alarms.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that carbon monoxide is the cause of more accidental poisoning deaths than any other agent; and the highest number of deaths occur during the winter months.

Carbon monoxide originates from a variety of sources; including any fuel-burning appliance that is malfunctioning or improperly installed; furnaces, gas ranges, stoves, gas clothes dryers, water heaters, portable fuel-burning space heaters, fireplaces, generators, and wood...