Milwaukee, WI – Eleven north-side Milwaukee residents were taken to a hospital Wednesday night after a cracked heat shield in a new furnace caused a carbon monoxide leak.
The Milwaukee Fire Department was called to a home in the 3300 block of N. 27th St. about 10 p.m. Wednesday when the residents started feeling sick, deputy fire chief Brian Smith said Thursday.
Firefighters discovered high levels of carbon monoxide in the home about 90 parts per million on the first floor and 200 parts per million on the second floor.
That’s up to four times the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s permissible exposure limit for carbon monoxide, which is 50 parts per million as an eight-hour average.
Six adults and five kids living at the home were taken to the hospital, Smith said.
The firefighters’ investigation showed a furnace that the residents had installed earlier in the day had a cracked heat shield.
“They didn’t have a carbon monoxide detector. They were just feeling sick,” Smith said.
Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless, which makes it tougher to discover a leak. By contrast, natural gas has an added scent to help alert people to any leaks that may cause a fire hazard.
Carbon monoxide can cause sudden illness, loss of consciousness and death for people and animals if inhaled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Luckily, the residents were awake to realize something was amiss. Common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.
“People who are sleeping or who have been drinking alcohol can die from (carbon monoxide) poisoning before ever having symptoms,” according to the CDC.
The immediate course of action when carbon monoxide levels are high in a home is to evacuate the residents and air out the space.
Carbon monoxide is typically found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by small gasoline engines, stoves, generators, lanterns and gas ranges or by burning charcoal and wood. Carbon monoxide can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, follow these tips from the CDC:
■ Install a carbon monoxide detector.
■ Never use a gas range or oven to heat a home. (This also causes a fire hazard, as shown by a fire in Dane County Tuesday at a house where an oven was left on for heating purposes.)
■ Never leave a motor running in a vehicle parked in an enclosed or partially enclosed space, such as a garage.
■ Never run a motor vehicle, generator, pressure washer or gasoline-powered engine outside an open window, door or vent where exhaust can vent into an enclosed area. Don’t run it inside a basement, garage or other enclosed structure either, even if the doors or windows are open, unless the equipment is professionally installed and vented.
■ Never use a charcoal grill, lantern or portable camping stove inside a home, tent or camper.