Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the U.S., and portable heaters are one of the major sources in fatal cases. The gas is colorless and odorless, and earlier this year it claimed the lives of a couple and their two granddaughters, who were overcome in their trailer outside a horse show in Madison. Chuck Warzecha, Director of the Wisconsin Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Heath, says tragedies like that can be avoided with the use of battery operated carbon monoxide detectors. The portable detectors are available at most hardware stores and home centers.