Opinion

Leaving the car running is bad

Richard Lutz
Opinion Columnist

Early every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I make the grueling trek across the vast expanse of parking lot between the stadium and the Garrison/Melcher gymnasium complex.

Despite the cruel wind and bleak landscape, this trip is usually the high point of my day. Why? Because that parking lot is the most squirrel-less place you can find this side of downtown. It was not until recently that I realized the hideous reason why.

My morning walks have always been surreal. I am blissfully squirrel-free, and itis too early in the morning for my consciousness to be augmented by the sugar from breakfast. But also, I find myself walking past row after row of people sleeping in cars.

I understand ever since the Parking Wars of 1995, people have been coming early to secure good spots (and evade the blackbirds, who attempt to extort sunflower seeds and credit card numbers from passersby). I also understand some commuters must get up as early as 5 or 6 a.m. to secure a space.

It is reasonable tired commuters might sleep in their cars. I have seen whole herds of sleepers -- a dozen of them all in a group, which likely reduces the chances of an individual being attacked while asleep.

The problem is that, in this cold weather (water almost freezes in the winter here), the sleepers find they become chilly. The solution? Run the engine. After all, itis not like weire in any danger of running out of gasoline.

This explains the delightful yet unnatural absence of squirrels from the lot. An idling engine, especially in cold weather, produces up to 80,000 parts per million of carbon monoxide. For reference, the allowed level in a building is nine PPM.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas whose side effects include death by oxygen deprivation. If you let a single car idle in a garage for a minute or two, carbon monoxide levels can reach a lethal 500 to 600 PPM even if the door is standing open.

These flocks of sleepers are driving the squirrels away with a wall of oxygen-depriving fumes. Admittedly, some engines are very efficient and give off little carbon monoxide. Also, a warm engine is more efficient than a cold one. However, not all UH students are able to afford a tune-up or a new car.

If you are one of these sleepers, watch for symptoms. If you regularly suffer from fatigue, headaches, weakness, nausea, dizziness, confusion, disorientation or death, you may have carbon monoxide poisoning.

Maybe thereis a reason you feel ill every morning other than just "itis early." Talk with your doctor about it. Try to get some fresh air (if you find any in Houston, tell me where).

And please turn your engine off -- bring a blanket if you must, or even sleep in a building. If the alternative is poison gas, Iid rather take my chances with the squirrels.

Lutz, an English and German major, can be reached at drahcir@hotmail.com.