The Connecticut Post Online (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A family of four had to be hospitalized several hours Wednesday after they were overcome by carbon monoxide in their home early in the morning.
Firefighters and emergency medical personnel were called to Gerritt and Kathryn Graham’s home at 305 Mountain Laurel Road about 6:30 a.m. after Gerritt called 9-1-1 to report the family was feeling ill.
The couple and their two young children were taken to Bridgeport Hospital’s emergency department, where they received treatment for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. They were released later in the day and are reportedly in good condition, said hospital spokesman John Cappiello.
Fire personnel tested the home’s air quality and found carbon monoxide readings in excess of 300 parts per million. Readings above 10 ppm are considered potentially troublesome in a residence, according to a release from the Fire Department.
The house was ventilated for more than an hour to reduce the carbon monoxide levels below 10 ppm. No carbon monoxide detectors had been installed in the house, according to fire officials.
Southern Connecticut Gas personnel were called to the scene to investigate the carbon monoxide buildup.
Assistant Fire Chief Scott Bisson said initial indications are that the carbon monoxide buildup was caused by the home’s furnace, “but we don’t have a definitive answer yet from Southern Connecticut Gas.”
He said all four Grahams were feeling ill, though Gerritt Graham’s symptoms were not as severe because he had not been in the house as long as his wife and children.
“The Fairfield Fire Department wants to remind everyone about the importance of having working carbon monoxide detectors in the home to prevent elevated levels from accumulating and causing sickness,” said Bisson, the incident commander for the call. “Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that is deadly at elevated levels. This was a very dangerous situation that could have been prevented.”
Treatment requires 100 percent oxygen, by mask or in a hyperbaric chamber in cases of extreme poisoning, said Dr. Bryan Jordan, associate chairman of emergency medicine in Bridgeport Hospital.
“It depends on the level of carbon monoxide in the blood, how long the patient’s been exposed, what the level of symptoms are,” he said.
The important thing is to get away from the exposure, which helps because oxygen will wash out the gas, he said.
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