Carbon monoxide leak at construction site sends five to hospital
Five people are in hospital and dozens of workers have been evacuated from a construction site after a carbon monoxide leak in the southeast.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, emergency crews were called to a construction site in the 600 block of 7th Avenue S.E., said Carol Henke, spokeswoman with the Calgary Fire Department.
Henke said the leak appears to have started inside a temporary structure in the parkade of the construction site.
When crews arrived, they found one person unconscious in the building and a number of others suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“There were some patients that were experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and we did find at one point 400 parts per million,” Henke said. “We have ventilated the building to get rid of the carbon monoxide.”
An office heater is the suspected source of the leak but “a cause has yet to be confirmed,” the fire department said in a news release.
Henke said 25 people were removed from the scene as a precaution.
Adam Loria, spokesman for Calgary EMS, said three men and two women were taken to hospital in non-life-threatening condition.
Loria said two of the patients’ symptoms were more serious than the others, saying “any amount of carbon monoxide could be serious.
A reading of 400 parts per million is considered a “significant” leak.
Henke said this is carbon monoxide awareness week. She used the incident as a reminder for Calgarians to make sure their homes are safeguarded against a possible leak.
She said carbon monoxide can leak out of any gas-powered appliance such as water heaters, furnaces, space heaters, wood-burning fireplaces and attached garages, if a vehicle is idling.
“It’s very important when you’re using heating or any sort of appliance, to follow the main recommendations,” Henke said.
“Having a working carbon-monoxide alarm is critical, and working means it’s not expired, you test it once a month and you change the battery regularly,” Henke said.
She recommended using an alarm with a digital readout.
Henke said age, health and weight can change how quickly people feel the effects of carbon monoxide.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide include loss of co-ordination, mental confusion, nausea, dizziness and “feeling sleepy,” which Henke said can often be confused with the flu.
For more information on protecting your home or workplace against carbon monoxide, visit www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Fire.