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Carbon Monoxide mishap AGAIN!
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Jim_47
Member Posts: 244
Copied from our local paper. Its shocking to see that people still do not take precautions.
Family escapes carbon monoxide poisoning in home
Family still ill a week later
By Nik Bonopartis
Poughkeepsie Journal
Dr. Rabi Sinha and his wife, Pramila, daughter Nikita and son Rahul barely survived a carbon monoxide leak in their Town of Poughkeepsie home.
More than a week after a Town of Poughkeepsie family was nearly overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning, headaches and fatigue linger as a chilling reminder of their near-fatal experience.
The deadly gas has been cleared from the home -- and circulatory systems -- of the Sinha family on Coachlight Drive. But the memories have not.
Dr. Rabi Sinha knew something was wrong when he could no longer stand up.
Sinha was in his home on March 18, waiting with his children to see if the snowfall would turn a delayed school day into a canceled school day, when the kids started to feel ill.
Soon, Sinha and his wife began feeling nauseated too, and they thought a stomach virus or the previous night's meal could have been the culprits.
''It got so much worse we weren't able to keep our heads up,'' Sinha recalled.
A half hour later, ''We knew it was more than a virus.''
With his children becoming unconscious and his wife dozing off, Sinha called 911.
Deadly dose of gas
When firefighters and police arrived six minutes later, they found near-lethal carbon monoxide levels in the home.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that when breathed moves into the bloodstream and pushes oxygen out, preventing it from reaching vital organs in the body. Even low-level exposure can cause permanent damage to organs and the brain.
''You couldn't smell any fumes, but as soon as you took a breath, you didn't feel good,'' said Lt. Ed Madison, one of the Arlington firefighters who responded to the Sinha's home. ''A couple more minutes, they would have been dead. That's how serious this call was and how close they came.''
Madison, along with firefighters John Cox and Richard Fishwick, quickly got the family out of the home and into an ambulance, where they put them on oxygen tanks.
The family was transferred to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where doctors placed each of them inside a hyperbaric chamber for six hours to cleanse the carbon monoxide from their systems.
Hyperbaric chambers are most commonly used for decompression sickness, also known as ''the bends.'' That sickness most often occurs when scuba divers move from high-pressure to low-pressure environments, creating bubbles in the blood stream.
Carbon monoxide patients are treated in hyperbaric chambers with pure oxygen. Combined with high air pressure, the oxygen forces the carbon monoxide from the blood.
A week later, the Sinhas and their two children were still suffering from some side effects, including headaches and fatigue. It's not uncommon for symptoms to show up even a month after carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Sinhas live in a large, biege-brick house in a neighborhood comprised almost exclusively of recently-built homes. Newer houses are fashioned with better insulation and often have double- and triple-pane windows. While those windows do a superior job of keeping heat or air conditioning from seeping out, they can also keep harmful gases sealed tight, Madison said.
The Sinhas have installed carbon monoxide detectors on all three floors of their home, and they've gone to their neighbors to encourage them to install the devices as well.
''When we found out what it was, I said 'Why didn't we have one?' '' Sinha's wife, Pramila Sinha, said.
Rabi Sinha, a doctor in private practice in internal medicine, said he hopes others don't have to have a carbon monoxide problem hit close to home to take preventive action.
''Being aware is the best defense for this type of problem,'' he said.
Dangerous circumstances
Authorities haven't determined the source of the carbon monoxide, but they said dust may have been sucked into the home's boiler, blocking outgoing air from the chimney. Also, it appeared the placement of the satellite dishes near the chimney may have also blocked air flow.
The boiler has been cleaned and the satellite dishes have been repositioned. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence on the source of the gas, authorities have deemed the home safe again.
Madison said it's a common misconception for folks to think smoke detectors also double as carbon monoxide detectors. Both are important to have, he said.
''Everybody should have one, that's for sure, and if you have more than one floor you should have them on each floor,'' he said.
Family escapes carbon monoxide poisoning in home
Family still ill a week later
By Nik Bonopartis
Poughkeepsie Journal
Dr. Rabi Sinha and his wife, Pramila, daughter Nikita and son Rahul barely survived a carbon monoxide leak in their Town of Poughkeepsie home.
More than a week after a Town of Poughkeepsie family was nearly overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning, headaches and fatigue linger as a chilling reminder of their near-fatal experience.
The deadly gas has been cleared from the home -- and circulatory systems -- of the Sinha family on Coachlight Drive. But the memories have not.
Dr. Rabi Sinha knew something was wrong when he could no longer stand up.
Sinha was in his home on March 18, waiting with his children to see if the snowfall would turn a delayed school day into a canceled school day, when the kids started to feel ill.
Soon, Sinha and his wife began feeling nauseated too, and they thought a stomach virus or the previous night's meal could have been the culprits.
''It got so much worse we weren't able to keep our heads up,'' Sinha recalled.
A half hour later, ''We knew it was more than a virus.''
With his children becoming unconscious and his wife dozing off, Sinha called 911.
Deadly dose of gas
When firefighters and police arrived six minutes later, they found near-lethal carbon monoxide levels in the home.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that when breathed moves into the bloodstream and pushes oxygen out, preventing it from reaching vital organs in the body. Even low-level exposure can cause permanent damage to organs and the brain.
''You couldn't smell any fumes, but as soon as you took a breath, you didn't feel good,'' said Lt. Ed Madison, one of the Arlington firefighters who responded to the Sinha's home. ''A couple more minutes, they would have been dead. That's how serious this call was and how close they came.''
Madison, along with firefighters John Cox and Richard Fishwick, quickly got the family out of the home and into an ambulance, where they put them on oxygen tanks.
The family was transferred to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where doctors placed each of them inside a hyperbaric chamber for six hours to cleanse the carbon monoxide from their systems.
Hyperbaric chambers are most commonly used for decompression sickness, also known as ''the bends.'' That sickness most often occurs when scuba divers move from high-pressure to low-pressure environments, creating bubbles in the blood stream.
Carbon monoxide patients are treated in hyperbaric chambers with pure oxygen. Combined with high air pressure, the oxygen forces the carbon monoxide from the blood.
A week later, the Sinhas and their two children were still suffering from some side effects, including headaches and fatigue. It's not uncommon for symptoms to show up even a month after carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Sinhas live in a large, biege-brick house in a neighborhood comprised almost exclusively of recently-built homes. Newer houses are fashioned with better insulation and often have double- and triple-pane windows. While those windows do a superior job of keeping heat or air conditioning from seeping out, they can also keep harmful gases sealed tight, Madison said.
The Sinhas have installed carbon monoxide detectors on all three floors of their home, and they've gone to their neighbors to encourage them to install the devices as well.
''When we found out what it was, I said 'Why didn't we have one?' '' Sinha's wife, Pramila Sinha, said.
Rabi Sinha, a doctor in private practice in internal medicine, said he hopes others don't have to have a carbon monoxide problem hit close to home to take preventive action.
''Being aware is the best defense for this type of problem,'' he said.
Dangerous circumstances
Authorities haven't determined the source of the carbon monoxide, but they said dust may have been sucked into the home's boiler, blocking outgoing air from the chimney. Also, it appeared the placement of the satellite dishes near the chimney may have also blocked air flow.
The boiler has been cleaned and the satellite dishes have been repositioned. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence on the source of the gas, authorities have deemed the home safe again.
Madison said it's a common misconception for folks to think smoke detectors also double as carbon monoxide detectors. Both are important to have, he said.
''Everybody should have one, that's for sure, and if you have more than one floor you should have them on each floor,'' he said.
0
Comments
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Yep
And they still DO NOT know where the CO came from.
Boiler was cleaned and satellite dished were moved. I would bet money that NO ONE tested the boiler for proper combustion and venting. All just guesses at this point.
Would you let your kids stay there?
Mark H
To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"0 -
Really.......
Can't imagine that 'dust' being sucked into a boiler or a 'satellite dish' mounted on the chimney would have caused the problem...
It's also a 'common misconseption' for folks to think that any UL approved CO alarm will provide much protection irregardless where it is placed...
I wouldn't even let my dog Harley stay there!!
You would hope that, after all this family has gone through and the potential liability involved, whoever cleaned the boiler would want to verify safe operation before putting it back into service.0 -
were miners that smart?
that is why they use to carry canaries with them. the smaller, faster metabolic system would fail early enough to warn the miners. it seems to me, after reading some of the posted sites, that a canary would be a better investment, then most CO detectors. you would also get the benifit of their beautiful song.
leo g
To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"0 -
I had a stove puttin' out 63 ppm ina kitchen the other day
these folks are smart....new stove on monday. Mad Dog
To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"0 -
Better check the new stove
after it is installed you may find more than 63 PPM on the new one. I think I need to start doing training classes on gas ranges and dryers again.0 -
Same CO
I wanted to keep this article ongoing for those that may have missed it over the weekend.0
This discussion has been closed.
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