It is important to ensure that gas water heaters are installed properly and are well ventilated, a physician said, after a woman was recently treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
A 37-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張) from Miaoli County fainted three times in 10 months while at home, Da Chien General Hospital vice dean Tsai Chien-tsung (蔡建宗) said.
The hospital ran tests on her heart and brain, but could not find anything abnormal, until she fainted again on Thursday and was brought to the hospital after losing consciousness.
Photo courtesy of Da Chien General Hospital via CNA
The hospital ran tests again and diagnosed her with carbon monoxide poisoning, Tsai said.
“We spoke to the family and discovered that the past three times Chang fainted was just after she had used the water heater,” he said.
Chang moved into her current residence in February, and fainted within a month of moving in, Tsai said.
After she fainted on Thursday, Chang’s family told her to lie down, thinking she was tired, but then they were unable to wake her up and called an ambulance, he said.
When the hospital ran tests they found that the concentration of carbon monoxide in Chang’s blood was 36 percent — compared with the normal level of about 5 percent — so doctors put her on hyperbaric oxygen therapy to get her levels back to normal, he said.
“Normally fainting in patients is caused by problems with the cardiovascular or cerebral systems. So, it is quite easy to overlook something like carbon monoxide poisoning,” Tsai said.
Cases of carbon monoxide poisoning typically increase in winter, as people tend to close their windows, which affects air flow in the home, he said.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can also be hard to identify at first, as they start out as just a light headache and mild dizziness, Tsai said, adding that when the symptoms worsen, nausea and sleepiness set in, and in severe cases the person can pass out.
Early treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning is important to prevent permanent damage to the nervous system, Tsai said.
Aside from ensuring good ventilation around gas heaters, people should install carbon monoxide detectors, which sound an alarm if carbon monoxide levels are too high, he said.
Separately, the Ministry of the Interior wrote on Facebook on Nov. 12 that there have been 45 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning this year alone, of which 90 percent were caused by gas heaters being installed in rooms with poor ventilation.
If a person experiences symptoms such as dizziness, nausea or weakness in the limbs while using a gas heater, it is imperative that they investigate the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning, the ministry said.
If a person experiences any symptoms, they should immediately turn the gas water heater off, open the window and move outside, away from the source of carbon monoxide, it said, adding that if their symptoms persist they should call the emergency services at 119.
If installing the heater in a ventilated area is not an option, a strong exhaust should be attached, the ministry said.
“This is not something you should take chances with. The safety of your family is what is most important,” it said.
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