Carbon monoxide poisoning cases rise amid freezing temperatures [Video]

• Cases of carbon monoxide poisoning have increased in Texas as residents resort to dangerous heat sources amid power outages and freezing temperatures.
• State and health officials have issued a warning against using cars and items that burn fuel as their heat sources.
• The increasing power demands amid the winter weather caused power outages and rotating blackouts in the state.

As temperatures reach record lows and cause widespread power outages across Texas, cases of carbon monoxide poisoning increase with more and more people resorting to using car heaters, grills, and generators to keep warm.

On Tuesday morning, a car left running in a Houston home’s garage to generate heat led to the deaths of a woman and a child. The accumulated carbon monoxide also caused a man and a boy at the home to be hospitalized.

Burning fuel in lanterns, small engines, vehicles, stoves, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, or furnaces produces carbon monoxide, a gas that is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that using these items indoors can build up the gas and poison people and animals who breathe it in.

A person who breathes in a lot of the gas can pass out or die. It can be especially dangerous if the people in the house are sleeping or unaware.

The Houston Police Department has issued a warning that “cars, grills, and generators should not be used in or near a building.”

Several similar cases were reported in the previous days.

A family of six was hospitalized in Houston on Monday after using a charcoal grill to keep their apartment warm for about four hours, according to the Cy-Fair Fire Department.

Among the family were four children aged 5 to 10. One child and one adult were in critical condition.

Another four people were hospitalized on Monday evening in Fort Worth for a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at their home. Two were in critical condition, CBSN reported.

The extreme temperatures in Texas significantly increased power demands that eventually disabled the state’s electric grid. Several residents had to resort to other sources of warmth after a power outage caused roughly 4.4 million people to go without power. Statewide rotating blackouts also took place to help spread electricity across the state.

A Federal Emergency Declaration for Texas was issued by the White House on Monday so the state can receive federal aid amid the crisis.

The state also set up several warming stations. A map of the locations can be found on the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s website. Locals can also reach out to the National Guard for assistance.

Source: Aol.com