Danger in the Air

Many low-income Orange County homes harbor dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, and a new state study concludes that those residents are more likely to die of carbon monoxide poisoning than people in newer, better-maintained homes.

Nearly 350 inspections conducted by the nonprofit Community Development Council in 1997 showed that one in seven homes had dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide--an odorless, colorless and potentially deadly gas emitted by faulty furnaces, ovens and wall heaters.

The council inspects homes as part of federally funded weatherization programs that provide new doors and windows, insulation and other energy-conserving measures for low-income households.

The inspections determine whether insulation is needed and whether carbon monoxide is present.

In half the homes they inspected, officials found hazardous conditions related to carbon monoxide, gas leaks and broken major appliances. At dozens of the homes, inspectors couldn’t even perform the tests because the appliances hadn’t worked for years.

According to federal census figures, Orange County has an estimated 54,000 substandard houses and apartments, 20,000 of which have been inspected over the last 15 years under the federal programs. With more than 30,000 homes still to be examined, the problem may be even more widespread.

In 1997, inspectors found scores of homes with leaking or crimped gas lines and cracked furnace fireboxes. They also discovered vents from major appliances that were blocked, full of holes or otherwise broken, which could cause dangerous fumes to spill back into living areas, garages or attics.

The inspections illustrate not only the perils and discomforts of living in low-income housing but also the fact that much of the county’s housing stock is now aging and decrepit.

“People assume there is no bad housing stock in rich Orange County,” said Kathy Kifaya, director of a federal weatherization program. “Well, that is not true.”

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According to 1990 census figures, half of the 875,000 housing units in Orange County were built before the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, a severe temblor that damaged furnace fireboxes and many large appliances.

Experts say that many homes, particularly low-income rental units and those occupied by senior citizens on fixed incomes, may have furnaces, ovens and wall heaters that have not been checked or replaced since that quake.

Overcrowding in many of the units is another risk. For example, 11 people living in three rooms means less oxygen is available, officials said.

The inspections are largely concentrated in the older northern and central cities, where most of the county’s low-income residents who qualify for the help are clustered. But inspectors also found hazards in homes of single mothers living on alimony payments or on public assistance in Laguna Niguel and Irvine.

The inspection reports also provide a sobering snapshot of conditions in the county’s most affordable housing stock: rainwater pouring through broken windows, rats and mice crawling through holes in ill-fitting doors, and heaters that haven’t functioned in years.

At a Garden Grove home rented by a single mother with a small child, carbon monoxide readings from the heater were 1,550 parts per million--more than 15 times the allowable state maximum of 100 parts per million.

At a Placentia home, an inspector wrote, “furnace totally broken, hasn’t been operated in 50 years.”

That wasn’t the only home where appliances didn’t work.

During one inspection this year, field superintendent Tom Spangler bent down to remove the cover of a grimy living room wall heater in an apartment complex in Fullerton.

“Oh no, don’t! There’s rats in there,” screamed tenant Pearl Acosta, leaping on her sofa.

Using a flashlight, Spangler peered through the metal grille of the heater and agreed.

“I don’t think I’m really going to start this thing up because I might start a fire in here,” he said, pointing at wads of chewed paper and other vermin nesting material. “I can tell you right now this furnace will at least be serviced, and probably replaced.”

The federal weatherization program is a boon for property owners as well as tenants. Major appliance replacements and repairs are provided at no cost. In exchange for the free work, the landlord agrees in writing not to raise the rent once the improvements are made.

Homes and apartments in Orange County received an estimated $840,000 in repairs in 1997 and about the same amount this year. The lion’s share of money has gone toward replacing broken furnaces because of carbon monoxide problems.

Some of the units “are too far gone for us to be able to do anything,” Spangler said. In those cases, inspectors have asked the property owners to do the necessary rehabilitation to prepare the building for weatherization.

About 1,000 people die each year in the U.S. from carbon monoxide poisoning, and 10,000 become ill, according to a 1991 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Many of them are people who have inadvertently parked their running cars in garages, alleys or other poorly ventilated places. But deaths in homes also occur, as a just-completed state Department of Health Services study illustrates.

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In that study, researchers analyzed more than 200 accidental deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning over 10 years, using death certificates obtained from county coroners.

The study’s lead author, Kai-Shen Liu, said, “Clearly, low socioeconomic people are more likely to die from carbon monoxide poisoning in their homes.”

The research showed people living in tents or other makeshift shelters during winter were 30 times more likely to die than those living in single-family homes. Those living in mobile homes were seven times more likely to die, and those living in apartments or small multiple living units were twice as likely to be killed by carbon monoxide fumes.

Liu said the type of heating used in the dwellings is a direct cause of carbon monoxide poisoning and deaths. For example, people living in apartments or older single family homes are more likely to have aging floor heaters or wall heaters, which are more dangerous than modern central heating systems. Some tenants incorrectly use ovens for heat when they can’t get faulty heaters to work, which is a major risk.

California, with its warmer weather and draftier homes, doesn’t have as many reported deaths. But two-thirds of the state’s approximately 50 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning each year occur in homes, rather than in cars, according to the state Department of Health Services. There were no recorded deaths from such poisoning in homes in Orange County in the last three years.

On a national level, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Lauren Ball said there were also numerous deaths in homes during the ice storms in Maine last winter, and in the wake of floods in North Dakota, when hundreds of thousands of residents in both states lost heat and power, and used portable kerosene and gas heaters.

Long-term exposure leaves people feeling constantly run-down, with headaches, dizziness or flu-like symptoms, Ball and others said. Because they don’t smell or see anything in the air, they have no idea that they are being poisoned.

Ball stressed that “everyone is exposed to CO every day,” from car exhaust to cigarette smoke. “It’s the amount and the duration that matters,” she said.

For inspectors from the Community Development Council, the amount of work still to be done in the county and the time it will take is enormous. There are thousands of homes still to be examined.

“They’re ticking time bombs,” Kifaya said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Warning Signs

Every year, 1,000 to 1,200 people in the United States die from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

What is carbon monoxide?

A colorless, odorless and tasteless gas produced by burning fuel.

How is it produced?

Any fuel-burning appliances in your home can be a potential CO source: stoves, fireplaces, furnaces, hot water heaters. Improperly operating, dirty or cracked appliances can produce fatal levels. Using charcoal indoors or running a car in an attached garage may create a hazard.

What are symptoms of monoxide poisoning?

Initial symptoms are similar to the flu, but without a fever. They include: headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness.

If you suspect that you are experiencing poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Open windows and doors for more ventilation, turn off combustion appliances and leave the house. You could lose consciousness and die if you remain inside. Contact a doctor immediately, say that you suspect CO poisoning, and obtain a proper diagnosis. Prompt medical attention is important.

PREVENTION

* Make sure appliances are installed according to manufacturers’ instructions and local building codes; most should be installed by professionals.

* Have your heating system, including chimneys, vents and furnaces, checked annually by a trained inspector. In California, a check of your furnace before it is turned on for winter is crucial. Your gas company will check the furnace, venting, and other large utilities for free: (800) 427-2200. You can also hire a licensed heating contractor.

* Examine vents and chimneys regularly for improper connections, visible cracks, rust or stains. Gas company inspectors will examine vents. A professional chimney inspector is recommended.

* Notice problems that could indicate improper appliance operation: decreasing hot-water supply; furnace unable to heat house or constantly running; sooting (especially on appliances and vents); unfamiliar or burning odor; increased condensation inside windows.

* Proper installation and maintenance of home appliances is the most important factor in reducing risk of CO poisoning.

Installing a CO detector/alarm that meets requirements of the most recent UL standard 2034 can help. Earlier versions may be set off frequently and improperly by “background” CO.

Low-income Orange County residents who are interested in free weatherization programs can call the Orange County Community Development Council’s Weatherization Program at (714) 839-6199 or toll-free at (800) 660-4232. Applications can be filled out by appointment at 5015 W. Edinger Ave., Santa Ana, or arrangements can be made for an outreach worker to come to your home.

Sources: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Public Health Assn., Orange County Community Development Council