CENTER CITY – February 1, 2010Several hundred students at the Art Institute of Philadelphia were forced from the 14-story building before dawn Monday after carbon monoxide detectors went off. The dorm is home to about 550 students.
Fire officials say three women had to be taken to hospitals following the evacuation.
School spokeswoman Carise Mitch says about a half-dozen students complained of illness following the evacuation. Two went to hospitals and were later released.
The city ordered the building closed until the source of the gas is found. That could take several days.
Mitch says the students will be housed at hotels until they can return to the dorm.
Two restaurants on the building’s ground floor are also shut down.
“…new knowledge about CO poisoning suggests that chronic exposure to CO-induced free radicals may, in fact, be a major occupational risk factor for cardiovascular disease and early death. Furthermore, exposure to cyanide and other toxic gasses may compound the effects of CO in firefighters…”
“Someone connected to the tournament called firefighters Saturday evening and said a Zamboni appeared to be releasing more exhaust than usual…asked whether firefighters could check it out.”
“A catalytic converter would slow the exhaust getting out of the engine and limit engine power. There are no catalytic converters (or mufflers, for that matter) on stock cars.”
Best Western Allentown Inn & Suites – Allentown, PA
“No one realized the man was suffering from exposure to carbon monoxide — and that the poison gas, notorious for its deadly stealth, was already sickening other guests and workers…Philip D. Prechtel, 63, died in his room…One other guest, two employees, two police officers and three ambulance workers were taken to hospitals.
20 adults and a 9-year-old boy became ill after inhaling carbon monoxide in an Ocean Shores grocery store powered by a generator
four members of a Vietnamese family were found dead in their Burien home. A generator had been running in their garage
three children died in a rural home in Grant County where a gasoline generator was running
Immigrant populations were the hardest hit: Of the 70 people treated in Virginia Mason s hyperbaric chamber, only five spoke English as their first language
QUEENSBURY – A potentially deadly level of carbon monoxide filled a Queensbury restaurant Saturday, sending 42 people to an area hospital. Most of the employees and customers of the Log Jam restaurant were treated and released. Two were flown to another hospital for more specialized treatment, said Queensbury Central Fire Department Chief Joseph DuPrey. No further details on their location or condition were immediately available.
The dining room was filled with 5,000 parts per million of carbon monoxide gase after the restaurant’s water heater in the basement stopped venting exhaust properly, DuPrey said. At that level people can get sick within minutes and die within an hour, DuPrey said. “It’s not uncommon for us to go to a residential home and see maybe 10 or 15 or 20 (parts per million,” DuPrey said. “To have 5000 parts per million is an extremely hazardous condition.”
Authorities were notified at 9:45 p.m. after a customer fainted. The restaurant was evacuated within minutes of the emergency crew’s arrival. Restaurant managers were unavailable for comment and the restaurant was closed Sunday. National Grid turned off the lead and the town of Queensbury’s code enforcement office will work with the restaurant to ensure that the water heater meets code. – The Associated Press
“A pair of Good Samaritans saved three workers who were overcome by carbon monoxide in Westfield Wednesday.
Authorities say three workers were using a gasoline-powered pressure washer to clean mold out of a store basement. According to police, the men were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning from the motor?s exhaust.
Two Good Samaritans were walking by when they noticed the workers collapsed on the floor. The two men pulled the workers out of the basement. When emergency crews arrived, they said two workers were unconscious and one was seriously ill.
Four additional people from nearby shops were treated for minor injuries and taken to the hospital for further evaluation.”
“More than a year since nearly dying of carbon monoxide poisoning in a subway tunnel, TTC worker Jason Iamundo is still suffering the effects.
Just ask his wife Sophie.
You can hear the rage rise up in her voice when she talks about the health problems he’s struggled with since the Feb. 7, 2006 accident. Chest pains, breathing problems, an irregular heartbeat, dizziness, numb hands and hips, anxiety and depression are just some of the worries.
Then there’s the memory loss. If he were in his 60s or 70s, one could understand his forgetfulness, but Jason just turned 36 and should still be sharp.”
“At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, an interagency team (comprised of representatives of
the National Park Service, the US Department of Interior, and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health) investigating boat-related CO poisonings compiled a listing
of CO poisonings occurring across the United States. The last update of the listing compiled
by the interagency team was dated October 2004.”
“Fifteen workers at the Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant at Arundel Mills mall were hospitalized yesterday after being exposed to carbon monoxide. The restaurant hood and duct system in the kitchen malfunctioned…”
“NASA has close ties with the high-performance competitive driving circuit. The Agency’s latest contribution to the sport comes in the form of an air catalyst—part of a filter to keep drivers safe from the carbon monoxide lingering over the track.”
“I remember the days when after the race they had to pull you out of the car, carry you into the shower and lay you in the shower for a while,’ Ricky Rudd says. “A lot of my early days were spent that way.’
“…NASCAR crew chiefs have reported their drivers being unresponsive to directions…Showing erratic skill and even blacking out at the end of races. Some drivers fail to realize they have finished the course.”
“The largest occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning in Britain demonstrates the potential for mass accidental poisoning. It emphasises the need for strict public health controls and the importance of good liaison between emergency services to ensure that such events are quickly recognised and that the necessary resources are organised.”
In 1998, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Department, with the assistance of local health departments, investigated a series of carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings associated with the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG)-powered forklifts in light industry. In each episode, forklifts emitting high CO concentration levels were operated in inadequately ventilated warehouse and production facilities, which resulted in high CO accumulations. Employees at each site developed symptoms of CO poisoning, and some employees received inadequate or inappropriate medical care. This report summarizes the investigations and provides recommendations to prevent such incidents.
John Bayness and Christopher Adams probably died of carbon monoxide poisoning in not much more than 12 minutes inside a car wash here, an expert said.
And the two were probably “intoxicated” by the gas within minutes and couldn’t comprehend what was happening, said Tom Greiner, an Iowa State University Extension associate professor.
Greiner conducted tests at the Wonder Wash Car Wash Monday with the older-model sport utility vehicle the two victims were driving. The pair stopped at the car wash Friday on their way to Arizona for a vacation. Both of the bay’s doors were closed.
Because of the extremely high level of carbon monoxide produced by their vehicle, the pair probably didn’t experience any of the common symptoms associated with the poisoning — headache, drowsiness and nausea, Greiner said. They didn’t know they needed to get out, he said.
“It’s worse than being drunk on alcohol,” Greiner said.
Bayness, 23, and Adams, 20, were found by a car wash customer about 1:25 p.m. Friday. Officials found the ignition still in the on position.
Preliminary autopsy results showed they died of carbon monoxide poisoning, the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, according to The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Fifteen hundred people die annually because of accidental CO exposure, and an additional 10,000 seek medical attention, the association says.
A similar incident to Friday’s claimed the life of Nolan Reetz of Jesup last December.
Here’s some information on CO, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission:
Breathing CO usually causes symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and weakness in healthy people. It also causes sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and disorientation. At very high levels, it causes loss of consciousness and death.
CO is colorless and odorless. This is particularly dangerous because people often don’t realize they are in trouble. Some of the symptoms are similar to the flu or other common illnesses.
Many CO problems occur in homes and businesses, but dangerous levels of CO can be prevented with proper appliance and equipment maintenance and installation.
Some common equipment that produces carbon monoxide includes automobiles, fuel-fired furnaces, gas water heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves, lawn mowers and snow blowers. Don’t run engines in the garage.
Detectors are available to help monitor levels of CO in buildings and should be installed on each floor, especially sleeping floors.
If a carbon monoxide problem is suspected, immediately open doors or windows to ventilate the house and get everyone outside for fresh air. Call the fire department of utility company.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning from vehicles, Greiner said:
Make certain all vehicles are tuned up and running clean.
Check and repair exhaust system leaks.
When starting a car and leaving from the garage:
Never run engine in a garage, even if the garage door is open, except for driving in and out.
Make certain everyone is in the car and ready to leave.
Open the overhead garage door before starting the car.
“We suggest that an average environmental concentration of 20 ppm of CO for the duration of a hockey game (90 minutes) should be reference limit not to be exceeded in indoor skating rinks.”
“An epidemiologic and clinical investigation of 184 persons exposed to toxic levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in a public high school has been carried out. Exposure to 500 ppm of CO for periods up to 150 minutes resulted in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels as high as 30% and symptomatic illness in 87% of persons exposed before the possibility of mass CO poisoning was recognized.”
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