SOMERS, Conn. — Eight people were taken to the hospital Sunday after a carbon monoxide leak in Somers, according to the town's fire department.
The Somers Fire Department said they were dispatched at 11:49 a.m. to a report of a medical emergency at a home on Grasshopper Lane.
Paramedics who arrived on scene took a child to Bay State Hospital before receiving a second call at 1:40 p.m. to the same location for another person having a medical emergency, the fire department said.
Crews decided to check the home for carbon monoxide after a second person was met in the driveway with symptoms.
The house was evacuated after levels exceeding 400 parts per million were detected inside the home.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, most people will not experience any symptoms from exposure to CO levels between one to 70 ppm, with the exception of some who may have heart pain as a result, but levels that are above 70 ppm can cause more noticeable symptoms including "headache, fatigue and nausea." Levels at 150-200 ppm can cause "disorientation, unconsciousness and death."
The fire department said a total of eight people with carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms were taken to BSH.
The source of the leak was determined to be a malfunctioning hot water heater, the fire department said.
As a safety reminder to residents, the fire department noted the importance of having carbon monoxide alarms installed in homes year-round.
"As a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, carbon monoxide is truly an invisible killer," the fire department said in a release.
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