In less than a week's time, a couple from Rochester Hills and a father and son from Detroit died after being exposed to lethal levels of carbon monoxide.

On November 18, a Rochester Hills couple in their mid-70s passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning while in their bed. More than likely they passed away in their sleep. According to Fox 2 Detroit, it's believed that a gas leak from their furnace was the cause. The couple did have a carbon monoxide detector but never put batteries in it.

The other incident took place in Detroit on Monday, November 21 when a man and his 1-year-old son were found dead in their garage with the car running. It's unclear at the moment if the man was simply warming up his vehicle or if it was intentional.

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Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard:

We always encourage people to check their smoke detectors and their carbon monoxide detectors each time we change the clocks for daylight savings. It’s a good idea to have more than one in your home, and you can get them that run on batteries or plug-in with battery backup.

 

According to the CDC, at least 430 people die in the U.S. every year from accidental CO poisoning. Approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. visit the emergency department each year due to accidental CO poisoning.

What makes carbon monoxide so hard to detect is the fact that it's a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. This is why you must have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home.

It's just so heartbreaking to hear about someone passing away from carbon monoxide poisoning because in most cases it truly is preventable.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

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Built in 1879, this is a rare one-of-a-kind find in Detroit that sits in Brush Park, one of the City’s oldest neighborhoods. This home is currently on the market for $2.9 million.

A Cool Look Into an Abandoned Radio Studio in Detroit

Take a look at the inside of an abandoned radio building in Detroit below. The architecture is very cool and even some of the old equipment is still on site. 

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