Springfield, Ma. – A 41-year-old mother and her two children were treated at Baystate Medical Center Friday afternoon for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a malfunctioning furnace in their Sixteen Acres home.
Firefighters were called to a home at 24 Leatherleaf Drive at about 3:30 p.m. for an activated carbon monoxide detector in the home, said Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger.
The resident and her two children, ages 17 and 5, were taken to Baystate Medical Center after complaining of nausea, Leger said. Firefighters determined the house had a carbon monoxide level of 40 parts per million, he said. A reading of 35 parts per million is enough to evacute a building, he said.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas, and exposure to high enough levels can result in illness or death. The woman told firefighters the CO detectors began sounding Friday afternoon, but that she felt ill for two days, Leger said.
Leger said inspectors determined the source of the gas was the furnace, and the house will be uninhabitable until it is repaired or replaced.