“What if the government could craft a rule that would make millions of people safer, reduce carbon emissions, and come with the support of the industry it regulates? It isn’t a dream — three states have had it on the books for years — but there appears to be no momentum for such legislation on the federal level.
The rule? Mandatory testing of carbon-monoxide levels at indoor ice rinks, which number roughly 2,000 nationwide.”
“A worker was using an acetylene torch on a refrigeration unit…’When I got on scene and walked into the building, my CO alarm went off the wall…It was the highest I’ve ever seen it in the 15 years I’ve been in the fire department…The chief said he evacuated the building due to the “really dangerous” reading…”
A faulty furnace is to blame for a Falls Church carbon monoxide leak that sent three people to the hospital Wednesday morning.
Fairfax County emergency crews responded to the Baileys Crossroads apartment building in the 3600 block of Malibu Circle at about 2:30 a.m. after several residents complained of nausea, headache and dizziness. Emergency crews transported an adult woman and an adult man to INOVA Fairfax Hospital. Another man was transported to Arlington Hospital.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue representatives initially reported that the three victims were in life-threatening condition, but by 6 a.m. said they would all be OK.
Firefighters used meters and found high levels of carbon monoxide in the apartment.
Officials evacuated all 11 apartments in the three-story building. Officials authorized residents to enter the apartments after a four-hour wait while firefighters ventilated the building.
Washington Gas crews determined a faulty furnace in the area caused the carbon monoxide poisoning.
MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Fire officials say 11 people were taken to St. Luke’s Medical Center after they were exposed to carbon monoxide fumes at the Playmakers Sports Center, located in the 5300 block of W. Fond du Lac Avenue.
Officials say workers on Monday, July 15th were trying to remove carpeting using a propane fueled tool, which started emitting fumes.
An employee at the store passed out, and this prompted the store to call the fire department. Fire officials then discovered elevated carbon monoxide levels in the building.
The building was evacuated and ventilated, and 11 were taken to the hospital. The 11 men were placed into a hyperbaric chamber, pressurized with oxygen to provide extra oxygen to the brain and remove the carbon monoxide.
All of the men taken to the hospital were listed in fair condition. Their ages range from 26-50.
Officials say most of those transported were carpet removal workers, and the rest were store employees.
“Garden City Park Firefighters responded to a carbon monoxide situation at a Dominican-style restaurant Thursday and took a total of seven people to the hospital for treatment.
According to Garden City Park Fire Chief Roger Green, ‘outrageously high levels’ of carbon monoxide were found in the building at 2172 Jericho Turnpike, which was functioning on a basement generator after the power had been turned off.
The generator was located in a common basement of the building and police were alerted at about 3:42 p.m. by a phone call requesting medical aid. Workers in the restaurant and several tenants in the apartments above the restaurant had complained about headaches and nausea.
A total of seven persons were taken to Nassau University Medical Center with non-life threatening conditions while another six declined medical attention.
The Nassau Fire Marshals Office is investigating the situation and will be determining if charges will be filed.”
“The Storm Lake Fire Department, police and Alliant Energy responded to a Burger King on Tuesday night after an odor of natural gas was reported…Authorities said no natural gas was detected, but carbon monoxide was. Firefighters determined a faulty rooftop heating unit caused the problem.”
“Police officers on patrol at around 10:30 Monday night saved the life of an employee of Healthy Food Chinese Kitchen, 650 Main Street, when an officer on patrol found the man lying unconscious on the floor behind the front counter with the gas generator running inside the restaurant, according to police.
Police said the man was taken away from the carbon monoxide filled room and outside to fresh air where oxygen was provided. Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Services personnel treated and revived him at the scene before he was transported to Bridgeport Hospital.”
“The leak was traced to an improperly vented water heater outside a Chili’s restaurant.
Chief Selberg said, apparently CO gas fumes were being pulled back into the shopping center’s air handling system, “It was up in the 200 parts per million range which is considered pretty high for CO.”
Firefighters and MLGW workers used gas monitors to trace the leak, but not before evacuating around thirty people from nine businesses…”
Background: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless toxic gas produced during incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. Most CO incidents reported to the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) are due to faulty gas appliances, and legislation exists to ensure gas appliances are properly installed.
Methods: We present three CO poisoning incidents of unusual origin reported to the HPA. In each, residents living above restaurants were poisoned after workers left charcoal smouldering overnight in specialist or traditional ovens whilst ventilation systems were turned off. This led to production of CO, which travelled through floorboards and built up to dangerous concentrations in the flats.
Results: Working with local authorities, these incidents were investigated and resolved, and work was conducted to prevent further occurrences.
Conclusions: The novel nature of these CO incidents led to delays in recognition and subsequent remedial action. Although previously undescribed, it is likely that due to the number of residences built above restaurants and the rising popularity of traditional cooking methods, similar incidents may be occurring and could increase in frequency. Multi-agency response and reporting mechanisms could be strengthened. Awareness raising in professional groups and the public on the importance of correct ventilation of such appliances is vital.
FRENCHTOWN — About 10 people were evacuated from the building at 10 Bridge Street last night, Tuesday, Nov. 2, to escape carbon monoxide fumes that spread throughout the three-story structure. The fumes came from a gasoline-powered generator being operated inside the dining room of the basement restaurant, Cocina Del Sol.
According to Frenchtown Union Fire Company Chief Gerald Hoffman, emergency units responded to the scene between 8 and 8:30 p.m. to perform the evacuation.
“It took to about 11:30 when we finally ventilated all of the building,” Hoffman said.
Besides the restaurant located in the basement, the building also contains specialty shops on the first floor and apartments on the second and third floors.
Because the building had been without power, most of the apartment residents were not at home, the fire chief said.
Responding to the scene along with the Frenchtown Fire Company were Frenchtown Police, Quakertown Fire Company and a fire unit from Ottsville, Pa.
Hoffman said he is submitting a report on the incident to state fire safety officials.
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.
“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.”
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.”
“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…”
“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.”
“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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