SSM notified of CO poisoning of tourist lodged at private apartment

The Health Bureau (SSM) has reported a case of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning that occurred Tuesday (Aug. 15) at a housing unit in a private residential building at Ilha Verde.

According to the report, a 38-year-old woman, a tourist from the mainland, was transported to the Kiang Wu Hospital with symptoms such as dizziness and almost fainting after having used the gas stove and the gas water heater at a housing unit located at the Fok Seng Building, Fok Tak San Chun, located on the Estrada Marginal da Ilha Verde.

The Fire Services Bureau (CB), which transported the woman by ambulance, said she started feeling unwell five minutes after using the stove and water heater and those symptoms persisted for over 30 minutes.

The CB also noted the water heater was installed without an exhaust pipe to the exterior of the housing unit, a reason they believed caused the CO poisoning.

Laboratory tests found the woman had high concentrations of carbon monoxide hemoglobin (COHb), which resulted in a diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning. She was subjected to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

According to SSM, the woman is currently in a stable condition. She was living in the housing unit with two family members who are said to have suffered no symptoms.

Carbon monoxide is a gas, the product of incomplete combustion of a fuel. After carbon monoxide is inhaled, it combines with hemoglobin in the bloodstream and causes it to lose its ability to carry oxygen.

Mild symptoms of CO poisoning are dizziness, nausea and vomiting, while in more severe cases it can lead to coma and death.

According to regulations, all fuel-burning stoves and heaters should be used with good ventilation.

All modern and certified equipment of this kind has a CO sensor that detects concentrations of CO and shuts down the appliances to prevent poisoning. In some cases, and due to the poor condition of some houses, these safety devices are bypassed so the equipment continues to operate beyond critical safety conditions.

Macau regulations on the matter provide that such equipment can only be installed and maintained by a certified professional, usually provided by the company supplying the fuel, who must ensure the equipment is in a proper safety condition before supplying the fuel to users.