IL- Daily Herald – Seven people were taken to area hospitals after a carbon monoxide leak Sunday morning at an Itasca home.
A tenant called 911 at about 8:30 a.m. from the 500 block of North Willow Street complaining all seven people in the house were suffering symptoms associated with carbon monoxide poisoning, Itasca Fire Department Lt. Robert Hianik said. Firefighters reached the split-level house and discovered a problem with the heater coil, which allowed the house’s carbon monoxide level to exceed more than 11 times the safe level suggested by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Hianik said.
“They were lucky,” he said.
Paramedics transported three victims to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, two to St. Alexius Medical Center in
Hoffman Estates and two to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Hianik said. Carbon monoxide victims typically suffer headaches, dizziness and nausea.
There were no carbon monoxide detectors installed in the house.”No, that’s the upsetting thing,” Hianik said. “This could have been prevented.”
Hianik did not know how long the leak had existed. He stressed the importance of installing detectors.
“You don’t even have to have one on every level,” he said.