A teenage boy has died and 14 other people were hospitalized after guests at a southern Michigan hotel were found unconscious around an indoor pool due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The injured 14 were taken to a local hospital and upon arrival one person was ‘confirmed dead’ according to Jessica Hines, a spokeswoman for Lakeland Hospital. The Niles Police Department identified the deceased as 13-year-old Bryan Douglas Watts of Niles. Eight other children were taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, police said. Three were released by Saturday evening and the other five were reported in good condition Sunday at noon.
Nile Fire Department Captain Don Wise attributed the incident to a faulty pool heater. “The ventilation system on the heater had issues. The exhaust was not functioning properly,” said Wise. “Our mechanical inspector verified that. The hotel is shut down until repairs are made.”
Police said that, when they arrived, carbon monoxide levels at the hotel were 800 parts per million, according to CNN Affiliate WBND-TV. US standards for carbon monoxide are 35 parts per million for a one-hour exposure.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that is produced when a fuel is burned. When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, it can replace the oxygen in red blood cells and can also lead to tissue damage or death. According to the police, the hotel’s poolroom had no carbon monoxide detectors which we at American Gas Safety see as a life threatening risk.
Full details of the news coverage can be found on the following link http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/01/us/michigan-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/index.html