A married couple and their 4-month-old child have been hospitalized for poisoning treatment after the heating system in their Botanica apartment leaked carbon monoxide.
Medical Emergency Center spokesperson Petru Cravet told IPN the mother and the baby were unconscious when the father discovered them. The adults were admitted to the Holy Trinity Hospital and the infant to the Mother&Child Center.
Civil Protection specialists remind the public to be cautious when using stoves and other heating installations. Stoves must be checked and cleared regularly. Other heating systems, such as those powered by gas, must be verified by specialists only, and children must be kept away. During the day, spaces should be ventilated and the fire in stoves shouldn't be left to burn overnight.
When symptoms occur of carbon monoxide poisoning, it is important to ventilate the area and call the ambulance immediately. Victims must be taken to fresh air as fast as possible and their clothes should be loosened around the neck and chest to ease breathing. If the victim passes out, the helper must make sure nothing obstructs his or her airways. Even if the victim feels fine after getting poisoned, he or she should still see a doctor to avoid more serious consequences.
According to the Civil Protection Service, 31 people died from the beginning of the year from carbon monoxide poisoning.