The residents of a North Minneapolis home were taken by surprise when a gas generator began to give off carbon monoxide fumes. Apparently, the 2 adults men and one of the men's 14 year old sons were living there illegally... the land lord had been trying to evict them for some time.
The owner of the house discovered the two men dead and the boy near death when he was doing a routine check on plumbing and electricity, and immediately rushed him to the hospital, where he died.
This time of year is the peak of carbon monoxide related deaths because everyone is turning on furnaces and heaters that should be checked before use.
Carbon monoxide is a clear odorless gas making it very hard to detect. There is a risk of carbon monoxide leaking when using any appliances incorrectly. Especially gas ran appliances.
This poisoning can take place in a matter of minutes and the victim normally feels flu like symptoms when in carbon monoxide's presence. It can lead to permanent neurological problems and when too much is taken into the body, death.
Thankfully, a law was passed in January 2007 making it mandatory for all houses to have a carbon monoxide detector, and in August 2009, apartment buildings and multifamily dwellings will have the same requirement.
Pabst, Lora. "Carbon Monoxide Kills 3 in Minneapolis." The Star Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/local/30219539.html?page=1&c=y. October 2, 2008.
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2 comments:
That was an interesting article. It's a sad story, but a good reminder to people to keep an eye on your carbon monoxide. This article relates to what we were talking about in Chemistry. Mrs. Kinner was explaining the affects of Carbon Monoxide, and it matched up with what the article said. Keep up the good posting! -Andrea L.
This was an interesting article and a good post by you. Kudos. The story is a sad one because this is so preventable. I thought you kept the reader interested and you included was this event can be avoided which, in my opinion, will keep people reading. You also gave your reader insurance as you told us about the law passed to regulate the gas and help people around the country. Good job keeping the reader interested. Keep it up!
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