Rockland Women Overcome By Carbon Monoxide: UPDATE

UPDATE: The residents overcome by carbon monoxide in Airmont were two teenagers and an adult, Ramapo police said.

Police were called at 10:57 a.m. Tuesday, after a family member found the women, aged 14, 16 and 54, unconscious. Four Ramapo police officers and EMS personnel were first on scene, entered the home, and got the victims out, providing first aid outside.

All three victims were transported to Westchester County Medical Center for treatment. One of the victims was subsequently transferred to Jacobi Medical Center for further treatment and evaluation.

Currently, it appears that the cause of the incident was due to elevated carbon monoxide levels found within the household, police said. The incident remains under investigation by the Ramapo Police Department Investigations Division.

AIRMONT, NY — Police and emergency medical personnel are at a home on Bolger Lane in Airmont where several people were found unconscious Tuesday. The first responders got them out and began first aid outside.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the culprit, according to the Daily Voice: CO readings were reported at a deadly level of at least 1100 parts per million. Three people have been transported to Westchester Medical Center.

Each year about 500 Americans are killed, and thousands more are injured, due to CO poisoning. The odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas—sometimes called the "silent killer"— is the leading cause of poison-related deaths in the U.S. Most problems occur in homes and garages as a result of poor ventilation near a fuel-burning device such as a furnace or automobile.

In addition to furnaces and automobiles, CO can come from broken or incorrectly used stoves, portable generators or space heaters, gas ranges, charcoal, firewood and other products. After snow storms or other events with power outages, the use of generators and portable heaters goes up, along with the potential for danger. However, faulty home heating systems, both gas- and oil-burning furnaces, are more often the cause. In these cases, nearly half of the victims are asleep at the time of poisoning.

Initial symptoms of CO poisoning are flu-like and may include dizziness, shortness of breath, sleepiness, weakness, nausea and headache. If the early signs are ignored, a person could lose consciousness and be unable to escape danger. If you suspect CO is leaking in your home or building, go outside immediately and call 911 from outside.

The top prevention measures are to buy and care for a CO detector and to have your furnace serviced regularly by a professional.

Other prevention tips include:

• Never use a gas range or oven for warmth.
• Never start up or run a snow blower, or other gasoline-powered engine (snow blowers, mowers, weed trimmers, chain saws, etc.) in an enclosed space.
• Never use a fireplace or stove unless it is properly installed and vented.
• Never operate an unvented fuel burning appliance, such as a gas or kerosene heater, in any room where people are sleeping.
• Never run generators indoors, including in garages, basements or porches. Generators should be placed at least 20 feet from a home. (This distance is usually adequate to prevent CO from entering a home.)
• Never use a charcoal or barbeque grill inside your home or garage.
• Never run a car or motorcycle inside a garage attached to a house or in a detached garage with the garage door shut. Open the door to remove CO and other toxic exhaust gases.