I guess you must be extremely lucky, and nothing bad has ever happened to
you. It's not realistic to think that because the odds are low, it won't
happen.

Carbon Monoxide:

Each year, according to CPSC, there are more than 200 carbon monoxide deaths
related to the use of all types of combustion appliances in the home.
Exposure to carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen.
Often a person or an entire family may not recognize that carbon monoxide is
poisoning them. The chemical is odorless and some of the symptoms are
similar to common illnesses. This is particularly dangerous because carbon
monoxide's deadly effects will not be recognized until it is too late to
take action against them.

Carbon monoxide exposures especially affect unborn babies, infants, and
people with anemia or a history of heart disease. Breathing low levels of
the chemical can cause fatigue and increase chest pain in people with
chronic heart disease. Breathing higher levels of carbon monoxide causes
symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and weakness in healthy people.
Carbon monoxide also causes sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and
disorientation. At very high levels it causes loss of consciousness and
death.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/452.html

About Combustion Gases/Carbon Monoxide



Every year about 500 people die in their homes from carbon monoxide
poisoning. In some cases an entire family dies from this completely
preventable death. What is carbon monoxide? It is a poisonous gas that
interferes with blood's ability to carry oxygen. Carbon monoxide is produced
when a fuel is burned, such as natural gas, propane, fuel oil, wood,
charcoal, and gasoline. In furnaces, boilers, water heaters, wood stoves,
and fireplaces, carbon monoxide and other products of combustion are vented
to the outside through the chimney.



"pipco" wrote in message
oups.com...
No, I don't think I'm crazy. Just realistic. I've done some research
and I don't believe that there are any notable cases of a CO death
based on a cracked heat exchanger. Usually it's something else that has
gone wrong with the furnace. I will be replacing it within a few days.
Like I said, I'm aware of the risks... Okay, maybe I am crazy.