12 Sent To Hospitals By Carbon Monoxide Leak In Severn House

SEVERN, MD — Twelve people were checked at area hospitals for carbon monoxide exposure after a leak was detected in a Severn house, authorities said. A gas stove in a home in the 1500 block of Ringe Drive was the source of the leak, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said. Paramedics had been called Wednesday after a resident complained of chest pains, and a carbon monoxide detector on the medical bag carried by the paramedics signaled high levels of carbon monoxide in the home.

The first responders and residents were evacuated. Investigators found elevated levels of carbon monoxide throughout the home, which can cause headache, nausea, and dizziness after 45 minutes. The source of thee leak was a gas stove which was secured and the home was ventilated.

A total of 12 patients were evaluated by paramedics and taken to hospitals. Only one patient, who had been inside the house most of the day, displayed symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, fire officials said. The other occupants had been exposed for less than 90 minutes, and although they did not show symptoms, they did have indications of CO exposure based on readings from devices carried by paramedics.

Six adults and six juveniles were taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and the University of Maryland Medical Center. None had symptoms that were believed to be life-threatening.

People exposed to the gas can collapse and lose unconsciousness after one hour, and die from exposure at those levels within two to three hours.

About Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is often called the invisible killer. It is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

CO enters the body through breathing. CO poisoning can be confused with flu symptoms, food poisoning, and other illnesses. Some symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, feeling light-headed or headache. High levels of CO can be fatal, causing death within minutes.

Symptom severity is related to both the CO level and the duration of exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants and physicians can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning symptoms for the flu, which sometimes results in tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high-level CO exposures (e.g., associated with the use of generators in residential spaces), victims can quickly become mentally confused, and can lose muscle control without having first experienced milder symptoms; they will likely die if not rescued.

It is recommended that CO alarms be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

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