A Silent Killer Could Be in Your Home : Poisons: Vitas Gerulaitis’ death showed the ubiquity of carbon monoxide--and the need to take precautions.

It is odorless, colorless and quietly lethal.

It is carbon monoxide, the deadly byproduct of incomplete combustion and poor ventilation, and it is the leading cause of poisoning death in the United States.

When the so-called killer gas took the life of former tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis, 40, in New York last week, public awareness of the threat got a tragic but timely boost.

“It’s a ubiquitous toxin, recognized since man first brought fire into the home for cooking,” says Dr. Greg Thompson, co-director of the Los Angeles Regional Drug and Poison Information Center.

Recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the gas claims about 5,000 lives per year. Many of those deaths are from fires, experts say, and some from suicides, but an estimated one-third are accidental--and in many cases, preventable.

Carbon monoxide is all around us, but only rarely in dangerous concentrations. It can be present around water heaters, stoves, fireplaces, lawn mowers and space heaters, as well as car exhaust.

The gas kills by replacing the oxygen in body organs and blood, silently suffocating its victims from within. Because the poison zeros in where oxygen is most desperately needed--the brain and then the heart--its victims first lose consciousness.

“What happened to Vitas is a common scenario,” Thompson says. “He went to bed and just didn’t wake up. You don’t even know you are breathing it in.” Symptoms include headache, nausea, lethargy and fatigue.

To minimize the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home, experts recommend these steps:

* Never cook indoors with a hibachi or other barbecue device.

* Do not use kerosene heaters until they have been thoroughly checked for leaks.

* Be certain that water heaters are properly ventilated.

* Keep fireplaces clean and be sure that smoke from fires is drawn up the chimney and out of the house.

* Immediately report any gas “smell” to the gas company.

* Consider installing a carbon monoxide monitor in your home.

* If you tend to feel perpetually fluish at home but notice you feel better when you leave the house, call the gas company for a free home inspection.