Lubbock, TX – A Lubbock mother quickly recognized symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning in her children and rushed to get them the treatment they needed.
According to Lubbock Fire and Rescue, firefighters responded just after 10 p.m. Monday to a call that there may be carbon monoxide inside a Lubbock home.
The mother informed crews that she had already taken her three children to the hospital and returned back home to meet the fire crews on scene.
Lubbock firefighters tested the mother’s levels and determined she required treatment as well.
Crews say they found a 250+ppm (parts per million) level of CO inside the home due to a furnace vent that had been disconnected.
According to firefighters, any reading of more than 50 ppm requires breathing treatment and that their devices only read up to 250ppm.
Because small children have a smaller blood volume, they are more likely to experience symptoms of CO poising sooner that an adult.
Crews ventilated the structure and crews had cleared the scene by 11:19 p.m. Officials did not release any names or the address of the home.
According to the CDC website, It adversely affects human health at only a few parts per million and causes death at 250 parts per million (250 ppm)(2). The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year, 1,500 Americans die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. About 900 of these deaths occur in homes and are preventable.