Following two deaths attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning, the Boston Police Department (BPD) issued a Public Safety Advisory yesterday, Feb. 9. According to the advisory, the department has received several calls related to individuals being overcome with carbon monoxide fumes.
A teen-aged boy was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center yesterday, a victim of carbon monoxide poising he suffered while sitting in a running vehicle. The boy had been helping his father shovel snow and got into the vehicle to keep warm. The vehicle’s exhaust pipe was blocked by snow, allowing the deadly fumes to leak into the car’s interior.
Police reported a second death later in the day that they suspect was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. A man in his early twenties was found unresponsive in a vehicle and declared deceased on the scene.
Additionally, two children, a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, were removed from a vehicle in East Boston and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. The children are expected to survive.
Carbon monoxide is created when kerosene, gas, propane and other fossil fuels are burned improperly. The BPD urges citizens to make sure vehicle exhaust pipes are cleared of snow and that the ventilation systems of home heating equipment and appliances are not blocked.
Anyone experiencing headaches, drowsiness or nausea, all symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, should immediately move to a location with fresh air and seek medical attention.
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