The Health Bureau (SSM) said in three separate statements over the weekend that three people were poisoned by carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulfide in different bathrooms.
The bureau reported two cases of carbon monoxide poisoning on Saturday and yesterday respectively. According to an SSM statement on Saturday, a 52-year-old woman fainted in her bathroom on Friday at 1:45 p.m. The statement pointed out that the woman was rushed to the private Kiang Wu Hospital and diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. The statement noted that she is in stable condition.
Another case of carbon monoxide poisoning was reported to the bureau on Saturday, according to a separate SSM statement yesterday. A 70-year-old woman was found unconscious in a bathroom by her family members on Saturday at 3 p.m. The statement said that she was also rushed to Kiang Wu Hospital and is in stable condition.
The two statements underlined that as the victims’ flats have gas water heaters but do not have an exhaustion pipe nor a ventilation fan, despite there being windows in the bathroom, the two women did not open the windows when the incidents occurred, so the bureau suspects that was the reason why the toxicity accumulated.
Meanwhile, according to the third SSM statement given out yesterday, one more case took place on Saturday when a male non-resident worker entered a bathroom at work and smelt a strong odour. The statement pointed out that the man’s eyes were immediately stinging and he felt dizzy, after which he fainted outside the bathroom door. The statement said that even though he gained consciousness quickly, his employer rushed him to Kiang Wu Hospital. The statement pointed out that firefighters went to the scene and detected 47 ppm of hydrogen sulfide and deduced that the man had hydrogen sulfide poisoning. The statement added that the building had a blocked and leaking main sewage pipe, pointing out that was the possible cause of the incident. The statement noted that the man was discharged from the hospital yesterday.
The skull and crossbones sign is a well-known symbol for toxicity. – Image courtesy of Wikipedia
