Originally published by Focus Taiwan
Tainan, Jan. 8 (CNA) Ten of the 24 people who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning at a Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) swimming pool in Tainan, southern Taiwan on Thursday have been released from the hospital, the city’s health department said on Friday.
Tainan emergency services responded to reports at around 5 p.m. Thursday that multiple patrons at the pool on Gongyuan Rd. in the city’s North District were feeling unwell, light headed or had vomited.
Carbon monoxide measurements taken at the scene showed that the level of the toxic gas in the basement heated swimming pool was 499 parts per million (ppm), far higher than the average indoor levels of 0.5 to 5 ppm.
Twelve children and eight adults at the pool were taken to five area hospitals for carbon monoxide treatment, while another three children and one adult were admitted voluntarily, according to the city’s fire bureau.
As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, six of the children and four of the adults had been released from hospital after recovering, while the other 14 were receiving treatment but in a stable condition, the bureau said.
According to a preliminary investigation, the high level of carbon monoxide is believed to have been caused by incomplete combustion of fuel in a water heater at the pool, which occurred because a switch that allows airflow into the heater had not been turned on.
On Friday, the Ministry of Labor said that its investigators had confirmed the safety lapse, and that it would refer the case to Tainan District Prosecutors Office to charge those responsible under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Meanwhile, Tainan’s education bureau said Friday that it had ordered the YMCA facility to remain closed pending renovations and further inspections, in light of public safety concerns.
The bureau said it had also sent a letter to other swimming pool operators in the city, reminding them to ensure that their fire alarms, gas detectors and other safety equipment are in working order.
The city’s fire bureau, for its part, said it had ordered fire stations across the city to inspect local businesses to make sure they have installed carbon monoxide detectors, in order to prevent such accidents in the future.
