By Dee J. Hall
Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin)

MADISON, Wis. —A day after 13 members of her Madison congregation were sickened by a malfunctioning boiler, the Rev. Amanda Stein said Monday she believes carbon monoxide detectors should be required in all churches in Wisconsin.

Currently, the state requires detectors in most new buildings with fuel-burning appliances where people live or sleep. Existing residential structures, excluding most one-and two-family dwellings, must install the alarms by 2010, according to the state Department of Commerce.

"Our building has a lot of nooks and crannies," said Stein, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, 1123 Vilas Ave. "The truth is, somebody could've been in an area, studying, reading, using the restroom - and may not have made it out."

The danger of carbon monoxide poisoning was highlighted again Monday after five people were taken to a hospital from a duplex on Madison's East Side just before 5 a.m. after falling ill. A malfunctioning furnace is thought to be the cause of the incident at 2106 Sommers Ave., Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth said.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that is emitted during incomplete combustion produced by vehicles, stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, gas grills and other appliances.

In Sunday's incident, Stein said, the exhaust pipe for the church's boiler became disconnected from the vent to the outside, causing the toxic gas to pour into the basement of the church after the Sunday morning service. The fumes filled the furnace room and seeped out into other areas, including a room hosting a study group and the church's preschool area, she said.

Stein, wife of Wisconsin State Journal reporter Jason Stein, said she developed a strong headache, nausea and dizziness as she participated in the group and decided to leave early. Their sons, including 3-year-old Xavier, who'd been in the preschool room, already had been brought home by her father-in-law.

Stein said she began to piece together the problem and called Madison Gas and Electric just as parishioners dialed 911 to report that people were beginning to feel ill, including one woman who collapsed and struck her head.

When firefighters arrived just after 12:30 p.m., Wirth said, the carbon monoxide readings were 100 times the level determined to be unsafe. Stein said all of those who sought treatment are now home and are expected to recover.

Since October, the state has required carbon monoxide detectors in new buildings where people sleep, including cabins, motels, apartments, dormitories and prisons, Madison Fire Marshal Ed Ruckriegel said.

"The place where carbon monoxide has the biggest impact is where people are sleeping, because you don't know you're sick," he said.

Alarms can cost from less than $20 for a no-frills, battery-operated model to more than $100 for a hard-wired device with battery backup.

Stein said she's already made the investment and installed three detectors at the church.

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