Euclid, OH – Two people and two pets were sickened after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning Thursday morning. The Euclid Fire Department said a dad and his son were taken to Richmond Heights Hospital.
They were conscious and breathing when they were hospitalized.
The incident happened on East 236th Street and Chardon Road around 5 a.m. Firefighters found levels in the home were 900 parts per million (normal levels would be fewer than 10 parts per million).
There was not a working carbon monoxide monitor in the home.
In this case, firefighters say the cause of the carbon monoxide poisoning was a heating issue from the boiler.
Carbon monoxide becomes fatal at 35 parts per million. So this family was very fortunate to recognize these early symptoms of CO poisoning, said Lt. Bill Mastroianni.
The Euclid Fire Department has gotten 80 calls so far this year for possible carbon monoxide poisoning emergencies. About 40 of those calls were significant poisoning cases.
The good news is there are a few steps you can take to protect your family.
Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It can come from your gas range, furnace or chimney.
Mastroianni says you should know the signs to detect poisoning.
It starts out mimicking the flu, it can go to a rapid heartbeat, a throbbing headache, you can go into convulsions and ultimately unconsciousness, he said.
Firefighters recommend you have a working detector on every level of your home. You should install your smoke detector 15 feet away from fuel-burning appliances.
Carbon monoxide detectors are as important as smoke detectors. At a minimum you should have at least one outside of your sleeping area in the house, Mastroianni said.
You should also check its battery every year. You can even buy a detector that doesn’t rely solely on batteries.
“We at the fire department recommend a CO detector you can plug in that also has a digital readout and a battery backup, said Mastroianni.
Firefighters recommend getting your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year. If you use space heaters, make sure they are put in well-ventilated areas, away from furniture and curtains. And most of all, firefighters say don’t heat your house with the stove — it’s extremely dangerous and emits a lot of carbon monoxide.