Apparently high levels of Carbon Monoxide were detected and the store had to be evacuated.  Officials from Oklahoma Natural gas reported that Carbon Monoxide levels were at 300 parts per million throughout the store!  That is a lot of Carbon Monoxide!   At least two women were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.  It is believed that a heating-and-air conditioning unit might be the source of the Carbon Monoxide. There was no mention whether or not the store was equipped with Carbon Monoxide detectors.  With such a high level of Carbon Monoxide it is amazing more people did not have to be taken to the hospital.

Anyone who was in the store during this Carbon Monoxide incident would be well served to go to their doctor and get checked out.

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr.,Esq.

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If you would like more information on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning please visit www.carbonmonoxidehelp.com

The first homeowner was an elderly woman who had no idea this was going on until her furnace stopped working. She did not have any carbon monoxide detectors in her home. She had been feeling ill for several weeks before the furnace stopped working. Frankly, she is luck to be alive. The second home owner had a carbon monoxide detector and it warned them that carbon monoxide was building up in their home.  In Illinois, state law mandates that all residences have at least one carbon monoxide detector within 15 feet of each bedroom. As is clear from this story this law saves lives.

Calling these two incidents “vandalism” I think trivializes the act that was committed. Carbon Monoxide is deadly, anyone who would stuff plastic bags in an exhaust pipe, did so for a purpose. In my mind this is attempted murder and whoever did this should be charged accordingly. “Vandalism” is spray painting something on a home, not this. I hope that the police in Galva arrest whoever did this to these two homes.

Mathew E. Mazur, Jr, Esq.

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Based upon the article, this appears to be a significant incident, as one of the hospitals that employees are being sent to has a hypobaric chamber. For more details on the incident visit http://www.standard.net/live/news/164887/ and http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/Ogden-employees-in-critical-condition-from-Carbon/0blxwe04w0WqfzE8YY89JA.cspx

It will be interesting to see what caused the carbon monoxide exposure in this case. The facility involved is a manufacturing and warehouse facility.  This appears to be a situation where carbon monoxide was allowed to build up to dangerous levels indoors. It raises some questions about ventilation and carbon monoxide monitoring  iat this facility.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those employees who have been poisoned by Carbon Monoxide.

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr., Esq.

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If you would like more information on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning please visit www.carbonmonoxidehelp.com

The key fact of this whole incident is that it was preventable. The Department of Health and Environmental control determined that the cause of the carbon monoxide poisoning was from forklifts being used in a poorly ventilated building.  Incidents like this make me mad! As it is clear commonsense was not being used in the operation of the facility. If any combustion engine, be it a gas or propane powered forklift is going to be used indoors there needs to be proper ventilation or they should not be used at all. If they are going to be used indoors, there should be some carbon monoxide monitoring going on to prevent this type of incident from occurring.

 According to the news report, at least one of these individuals was in serious condition and the rest all had various altered levels of consciousness. This clearly indicates that this was not a mild exposure to carbon monoxide, but a very serious exposure.  Despite the fact that 11 of the 12 victims were expected to be released from the hospital last night, this incident is very serious. Those individuals should be monitored by their healthcare providers.  At a minimum, they should all have received some level of oxygen treatment, as close in time to their exposure as possible.

 For the individual that was in the most serious condition, I hope that she received some level of hypobaric oxygen treatment, as it is a proven treatment for individuals who have suffered significant acute carbon monoxide poisoning. The problem with hypobaric oxygen treatment is that there is an approximate a six hour window of opportunity after exposure to receive the treatment and for it to be helpful.  Unfortunately, most people either don’t know they have been exposed to carbon monoxide to receive timely treatment or their healthcare providers cannot get them to a hypobaric center in that timeframe.

 It would be very interesting to know what their carboxyhemoglobin levels were when treated at the hospital. Carboxyhemoglobin is hemoglobin (part of your blood) that has carbon monoxide attached to it instead of oxygen. The levels of Carboxyhemoglobin in a person’s blood give an indication of the severity of their exposure. It would be in each of these individuals best interest to get a copy of their emergency room records and determine what their Carboxyhemoglobin level was at the time of treatment. More likely than not, it was higher during their exposure.

 Another useful piece of information these individuals should find out is whether or not the fire department took any carbon monoxide readings at the scene of the incident and what they were. This will also help them get an idea of the severity of their exposure.

 If these individuals were clients of mine, I would probably recommend to each of them to keep a journal of how they are feeling after their exposure.  The Journal should be detailed and specific. They should note in the journal if they are feeling tired, having headaches, feeling angry, feeling depressed etc. In situations where the exposure was minor the symptoms should go away in a few days to weeks. In situations where the exposure was significant, there is a possibility that the symptoms may not go away. In those situations it will be vitally important for these individuals to know what is going on in their life so that their healthcare providers can help them deal with any long term symptoms such as headaches, depression, fatigue, etc. Their spouses should keep a journal as well.  In many Carbon Monoxide Poisoning cases, it is the spouse that sees the changes before the victim.

 It is important to have follow-up medical care and treatment after being poisoned by carbon monoxide. I hope that each of these individuals fully recovers from this tragic and preventable incident.

Matthew E. Mazur, Jr., Esq.

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