Medical experts refer to carbon monoxide as the “silent killer” because it’s colourless, odourless, and tasteless, so it goes undetected until it’s too late.
In the biting winter cold across North India, space heaters have emerged as “silent killers”, with the latest cases being reported from Delhi, Punjab, and Bihar, besides a number of deaths over the past month from Jammu and Kashmir, among other places.
In Punjab’s Tarn Taran, a young couple and their month-old infant died of asphyxiation due to fumes after sleeping with a brazier in a room with all doors and windows closed, police said on Sunday, January 11.
Coal-based ‘desi’ heaters are not the only ones posing danger, though. People use various heating gadgets to brave the harsh winter, including electric ones, but this has led to deaths due to suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heater-related fires in a series of tragedies over the past month.
Trail of tragedies
From the high-rises of Delhi to hamlets in Bihar and the valley of Kashmir, improper use of heaters and traditional braziers is claiming entire families in their sleep. Recent weeks have seen a surge in fatal incidents related to space heaters.
In Delhi’s Mukundpur area, a family of three, including Ajay Vimal (45), an engineer with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), his wife Neelam (38), and their 10-year-old daughter Jahnvi were killed in a fire last Tuesday. HT has reported that police suspected a room heater exploded or caused a short circuit, knocking the family unconscious with smoke before the flames spread.
Neighbours reported that the victims were found on their bed with no signs of struggle. Ajay’s sister told reporters that the family had only recently gathered for a meal together.
In Bihar’s Gayaji, a 60-year-old grandmother named Meena Devi and her two grandchildren, aged 6 and 5, died from suffocation in a closed room where a brazier (angeethi) had been lit to ward off the cold.
A similar tragedy struck Tarn Taran, Punjab, on Sunday where Arshdeep Singh (21), his wife **Jashandeep Kaur (20), and their month-old infant Gurbaz Singh died.
In Srinagar, a chef named Aijaz Ahmad Bhat (37), his wife and three children, one of whom was a 28-day-old infant, were found dead in their rented room. HT reported that the authorities found an electric blower in the room and suspected asphyxiation.
What’s the science behind this ‘silent killer’?
Medical experts refer to carbon monoxide (CO) as the “silent killer” because it’s colourless, odourless, and tasteless, so it goes undetected until it’s too late. Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, head of the Chest Disease Hospital in Srinagar, told The Hindu that heating devices, whether run on gas, wood, or coal, consume oxygen within a closed room, and lead to the accumulation of toxic gases like CO and carbon dioxide.
Victims often do not realise they are in danger; they may experience dizziness, headaches, and fatigue before falling unconscious, he added.
A retrospective study led by Rajesh Kumar and researchers at AIIMS New Delhi over 15 years found that 95% of CO fatalities occurred during winter, with coal-burning vessels in poorly ventilated spaces being the primary cause.
Risks beyond carbon monoxide
While suffocation is a primary concern, doctors also warn about the broader health impacts of heaters. Dr Ambrish Kumar Garg, a senior consultant at Narayana Hospital, Jaipur, told Dainik Bhaskar that prolonged heater use depletes moisture from the air, causing the nose, throat, and skin to dry out. This can exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma and allergies, and in severe cases, lead to internal bleeding in the brain.
