4 Rushed To Hospital After Carbon Monoxide Incident At Brockton Home
BROCKTON (CBS) - Four people were rushed to the hospital with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning Wednesday morning after high levels of the odorless gas were detected in a Brockton home.
The high CO levels are believed to be caused by a gas heating system that wasn't vented properly. There were no CO detectors in the Sawtell Avenue home.
"They are very lucky," Brockton Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Marchetti said. "There were no working carbon monoxide detectors in the house. The family would have been alerted much earlier."
The CO levels in the home were at 900 parts per million. According to Marchetti, normal, safe levels of CO hover around 9 parts per million.
People in the house called 911 when one of them began feeling sick.
A fifth person who lives in the house wasn't home at the time and is fine.
The fire department vented the house after everyone inside was evacuated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Each year, more than 400 people in the United States die of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning and more than 4,000 people are hospitalized.
