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Deadly Carbon Monoxide Leak in West Virginia Hotel

By Jeffery Robinette

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Mar2012 Word count: 562 Viewed: 79 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

A Rhode Island man died in his sleep on Tueday, January 31, 2012, when his hotel room at the Holiday Inn and Suites in South Charleston, WV filled with carbon monoxide. Another man is still in critical condition, and at least a dozen more guests are being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

A swimming pool heater at the hotel was the source of the deadly carbon monoxide leak. The heater pump was fed by a pipe that went all the way through the building. The hotel had no carbon monoxide detectors.

Often called "the silent killer," Carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas that is produced when burning any fuel, such as gasoline, propane, natural gas, oil, wood, and charcoal. Carbon monoxide causes illness by decreasing the amount of oxygen present in a person's body.

CO poisoning can often be mistaken for other illnesses, such as the flu. The most common symptoms include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and confusion. In severe cases, the person may lose consciousness or die. Often, other people in the place of business or household will exhibit similar symptoms.

In addition to death, carbon monoxide can cause severe learning disability, memory loss, and personality changes.

A similar death in a rental home resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2011 in Morgantown, WV.

Hotel owners and landlords have the highest degree of responsibility to ensure that their facilities are safe for guests and tenants. Inspections and proper maintenance of equipment and heating units and the installation and maintenance of detectors are common-sense preventative measures one would expect any building owner to have in place.

To protect your own family and to decrease the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in your own home, install CO detectors outside every bedroom. Install the detectors at least 15 feet from a source of CO to eliminate nuisance alarms. Hardwire detectors if possible, and check every six months. Do not heat your home or camper with your stove top or use a camp stove, grill, or generator inside your home or camper. Do not leave a car or motorcycle running in your garage even if the garage door is open. Install a CO detector in your boat cabin; CO can accumulate anywhere in or around a boat. Have your fireplace, stove, and furnace checked regularly by a professional.

Approximately 24 children under the age of 14 die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year, with an additional 3,500 emergency room reported injuries, according to the National SAFE KIDS campaign.

Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) and may show symptoms sooner than a healthy adult. Because of their smaller bodies, children process CO differently than adults and may be more severely affected by it. In addition to death, carbon monoxide can cause severe learning disability, memory loss, and personality changes.

Approximately 24 children under the age of 14 die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year, with an additional 3,500 emergency room reported injuries, according to the National SAFE KIDS campaign.

Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) and may show symptoms sooner than a healthy adult. Because of their smaller bodies, children process CO differently than adults and may be more severely affected by it. In addition to death, carbon monoxide can cause severe learning disability, memory loss, and personality changes.

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