Three dead from possible carbon monoxide poisoning
In separate incidents, two families recovering from exposure
Over the weekend, three men were found dead in their cars from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, and two families were hospitalized from separate poisoning incidents in their homes, said officials Tuesday.
Bladensburg police and Prince George's County paramedics found two men dead inside a vehicle parked in the 4200 block of 58th Avenue in Bladensburg Sunday morning, said Bladensburg Police Department spokesman Sgt. Tracy Stone.
The men, one age 24 from Glen Burnie and the other age 29 from Bladensburg, had apparently fallen asleep inside the running car and snow had covered up the exhaust pipe, said Henry Tippett, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Police Department, which also is investigating the deaths. The car was found close to the Bladensburg man's home, but police did not know whether the power was off at the home.
An autopsy will be performed to make a final determination about their cause of death. Police are not identifying the men until their families have been notified, which could take some time, as the Glen Burnie man's relatives live in Liberia, Tippett said.
A 55-year-old man was found at 2 p.m. Saturday under similar circumstances in his running car outside his home at 39 Ridge Court in Greenbelt, Tippett said. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name is also being withheld until his family is notified.
Over the weekend, emergency workers responded to two incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning that resulted from families using gasoline-run generators inside their homes after they lost power.
On Saturday, paramedics responded to the 4100 block of 70th Avenue in Landover Hills, where a family of six was suffering from high levels of carbon monoxide, said Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. Firefighters detected a reading of 200 parts per million of carbon monoxide inside the home. Any level above 35 to 40 parts per million is considered unhealthy, and prolonged exposure at 200 parts per million could be lethal, Brady said.
Six family members, including five adults and one child, were taken to a hospital for hyperbaric treatment, which involves being placed in a chamber filled with 100 percent oxygen at a high pressure to force the carbon monoxide out of their bloodstreams.
On Sunday, paramedics responded to a similar incident in the 7900 block of Hart Road in Oxon Hill. Carbon monoxide levels were detected at 250 parts per million, and five children were taken to hospitals for hyperbaric treatment. The other four adults in the home felt better after getting fresh air and refused treatment, Brady said.
Brady said he expects all of those hospitalized to fully recover after receiving treatment.
"If your power is out, we feel for you, but you cannot use a gas-powered generator," Brady said. "It would only take 30 to 40 minutes to generate that level of [carbon monoxide] in those homes."
Carbon-monoxide poisoning symptoms include sudden dizziness, nausea and confusion.