an octogenarian hospitalized in absolute emergency

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A growing risk as temperatures drop. While the heating in many homes in Val-d'Oise has been turned back on for several weeks, accidents linked to carbon monoxide poisoning (Co) follow one another. Sometimes with dramatic consequences.

Sunday December 1, 2024, it was in Taverny (Val-d'Oise) that the firefighters were requested. It was 12:22 p.m. when they received a call informing them that three victims had several symptoms of gas poisoning in their pavilion on rue Victor-Bach. When firefighters entered the home, their carbon monoxide detection device immediately went off.

A rate of 600 Ppm can be fatal

They then note a concentration rate of 600 ppm (part per million) of Co in ambient air, while the usual rate is around 0.2 ppm, underlines the World Health Organization specifying that inhalation of this gas can become fatal from 400 ppm after 3 hours of exposure.

The Sdis 95 crew treated an 80-year-old man suffering from respiratory failure. The latter was evacuated in absolute emergency to the Raymond-Poincaré hospital center in Garches (Hauts-de-Seine) which has a hyperbaric chamber. This particularly treats urgently patients poisoned by carbon monoxide by exposing them to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, in order to increase the oxygenation of the tissues.

Defective boiler

More lightly affected, a 69-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man were treated by firefighters and taken urgently to Eaubonne hospital.

According to the first observations made, a boiler malfunction could be the cause of the incident.

Around a hundred deaths per year

Odorless, colorless and non-irritating, carbon monoxide is an extremely dangerous gas which causes the poisoning and death of around a hundred people in France. It is released when a gas, wood or coal-burning appliance malfunctions. There are multiple symptoms linked to poisoning: headaches, nausea, vomiting, sensory disturbances, chest pain, abdominal pain, etc. It is essential to immediately ventilate the room by opening doors and windows, then evacuate the area before alerting the emergency services.

To limit the risks as much as possible, the Val-d'Oise firefighters remind you that it is necessary to have your heating installations checked by a professional before starting up in winter: “Boiler, water heater, stove, chimney must be checked every year! If possible, install a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Ventilate your home, even in cold weather. The ideal is to ventilate for at least 10 minutes per day. And above all, do not use makeshift heating devices (barbecues, braziers, etc.) inside your home! Never operate auxiliary heaters continuously. Position generators outside homes. »

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