By Jared James
The Advocate
Copyright 2007 Capital City Press
All Rights Reserved
The West Feliciana Parish Courthouse is expected to reopen today after 10 employees were treated Monday for carbon monoxide poisoning blamed on boiler exhaust that leaked into the air handling system, Sheriff Austin Daniel said Tuesday.
Workers sealed off the area Tuesday at the location where the carbon monoxide was getting into the courthouse air ducts, the sheriff said. The courthouse in St. Francisville remained closed Tuesday while the problem was investigated and corrected.
Daniel said he would meet with Fire Chief Thomas Robinson of the St. Francisville Fire Department at 7 a.m. today to test for carbon monoxide in the building. Air monitors were being installed throughout to alert employees if the level rises.
All 10 parish employees taken to hospitals Monday were treated and released by 1 a.m. Tuesday, Daniel said.
Several employees became ill around noon Monday and some thought there was a virus going around, Daniel said.
After more employees complained of headaches and nausea, and two passed out, the building was ordered cleared about 3 p.m., the sheriff said.
When the Fire Department arrived to investigate, it detected carbon monoxide in the building, Robinson said.
The highest reading was between 600 and 700 parts per million, Chief Robinson said.
“It was enough in a short period of time to give you a really good headache,” Robinson said.
Contractors, architects and public safety officials went over the building Tuesday and conducted tests to make sure the carbon monoxide episode was over, Daniel said.
Exhaust from the boiler was putting carbon monoxide back into the mechanical room, Daniel said. Once in the mechanical room, the air conditioning system was picking it up and distributing it throughout the courthouse.
To fix the problem, workers sealed off a louver opening into the air handling system with plywood and silicone. Then, the carbon monoxide level dropped, Daniel said.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. At low levels of exposure, it causes mild effects, including headaches, dizziness, disorientation and nausea, often mistaken for the flu.