Katowice, Matal carbon monoxide poisoning. Two women are dead. Guard: Already 12 carbon monoxide victims this season

Chad poisoning was the cause of the death of two women aged about 30 years old – told tvn24.pl the duty officer of the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Katowice. The tragedy took place in one of the apartments at University Street.

The services – as firefighters tell us – were called on Saturday around 20 by a man who entered the apartment. He immediately saw two women lying motionless on the floor. The man expected that there was probably poisoning with chad, so he immediately opened the windows and called for help – said the duty officer of the Municipal Fire Brigade Headquarters.

Firefighters, policemen and paramedics were sent to the place. – Unfortunately, it was too late to the rescue for the woman – he told the duty officer in an interview with tvn24.pl.

Read also: Bodies of two people in the premises. The initial cause of death is known

Firefighters checked the safety of other apartments in the same building. – Readings did not show carbon monoxide, which is why the source of chad had to be in the premises where the contamination occurred. The concentration was so high that we detected 200 ppm in the staircase in front of the door, which after a few hours of exposure causes poisoning in an adult – told tvn24.pl a duty officer.

PPM (Parts Per Million) is a unit that indicates the number of gas particles (e.g. carbon monoxide, i.e. chad) per million air molecules.

In the brigadier's statement, published shortly after the tragedy, Aneta Gołębiowska, spokeswoman for the Silesian Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service, said that this season only in the Śląskie Voivodeship there were already 12 deaths.

Quiet killer

The services resemble – carbon monoxide, commonly called chad, is a quiet killer. Impassable and invisible, it is a huge threat. It is worth installing a carbon monoxide sensor in the apartment. The device, when it detects an elevated concentration of this gas in the air, will alert the inhabitants about it.

When we do not have the opportunity to install a carbon monoxide sensor, remember about the frequent ventilation of the rooms where heating devices are located. You should also remember about regular inspections and cleaning the ventilation system and chimney flues.

See: new regulations have entered into force on the use of smoke and chad sensors in buildings and residential premises.