Posted on Sun, Oct. 23, 2005
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Carbon monoxide claims 1 in Ossian
By Masaaki Harada
The Journal Gazette
A 30-year-old man died and five other people were found unconscious early Saturday because of carbon monoxide poisoning in an Ossian house that had been using a generator for heat after its power was cut off a week ago, the Wells County Sheriff’s Department said.
Police were called to 206 S. Siebold St. in Ossian about 4:30 a.m. to check on the residents’ welfare. A neighbor called 911 after speaking with someone in the home. The neighbor thought the person was speaking strangely, police said.
Police officers and emergency workers found a 30-year-old man dead, but his name was not released Saturday pending family notification. An autopsy will be conducted at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, police said.
Five other people in the house had passed out, police said, and they were treated by medics at the scene. Their conditions were unavailable Saturday.
Power was cut at the house and the residents had been using a generator in the basement for a week, police said.
The carbon monoxide level was more than 400 parts per million, even with an open door, police said, making rescuers dizzy in the short time they were in the home. Bob Amber, Fort Wayne Fire Department spokesman, said 35 parts per million is often the level that trips a carbon monoxide alarm.
The last conversation between one of the residents and the 911 caller was about an hour before police were dispatched. It was unclear how long the residents had been unconscious, police said.
Carbon monoxide at low concentrations causes fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease. At higher concentrations, people suffer impaired vision and coordination, headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea. Carbon monoxide can be fatal at very high concentrations.
Average levels in homes without gas stoves vary from 0.5 to 5 parts per million. Levels near properly adjusted gas stoves are often 5 to 15 parts per million and those near poorly adjusted stoves might be 30 parts per million or higher, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
No standards for carbon monoxide have been agreed upon for indoor air. The U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards has established outdoor standards of 9 parts per million for eight hours and 35 parts per million for one hour, the agency said.
Some local governments – including Fort Wayne – have ordinances requiring homes to have smoke detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors are not required, Amber said. |
