Golden Gate camper died of CO poisoning

Lynn Volkens

2/23/2006 - The Gilpin County Coroner’s Department has released the name and cause of death of the Boy Scout Leader who died while camping in Golden Gate State Park last week. The man was 66-year-old Kay Hymus of Arvada. Results of the autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Ben Galloway at the Clear Creek County morgue showed the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) in the man’s blood to be 53%. Official cause of death was determined to be CO poisoning, not a heart attack as was initially speculated. A malfunctioning heater and/or inadequate ventilation in the recreational camper is believed to be the source of the poisoning.

Carbon monoxide poisoning strikes in Gilpin County

  Another headache? This time there’s nausea, maybe accompanied by vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. Feeling so poorly, you “can’t think straight?” Must be that flu bug everyone’s been talking about, right? Think again.

  True, the flu has been sweeping through Gilpin County. Student attendance is down at local schools and several of our government offices and local businesses have been especially shorthanded lately due to employee illness. But, this time of year, Gilpinites are particularly susceptible to another health danger – one that masquerades as flu, food poisoning, a “nasty cold,” depression, or the even more serious coronary artery disease and transient ischemic attack (TIA – a type of mini-stroke). It’s a silent, deadly invader invited into homes when the temperatures drop near zero – as they have this past week. Carbon monoxide poisoning, the colorless odorless gas produced by any device burning wood, natural gas, propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal or gasoline, will kill you while you’re sleeping, it will kill you while you’re awake and it will kill your entire family and pets at the same time.

  According to the Gilpin County Coroner, carbon monoxide poisoning is “more prevalent than people know.” Coroner Zane Laubhan is also director of Gilpin Ambulance Company. With his experience in both capacities, he knows whereof he speaks. Laubhan cites two incidents to bring home the point of just how dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning can be. During the blizzard of 2002, a Gilpin man suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow. Attempting to dig out his jeep, he realized he was having an attack and knew he couldn’t get to the house. Instead, he got into the warm vehicle. The jeep’s engine continued running. Surrounded by snow, it became a carbon monoxide trap. As it turned out, the heart attack was actually the secondary danger – it was poison carbon monoxide gas that did the real damage. Just last week, Gilpin Ambulance was called to Golden Gate State Park to treat a Boy Scout leader who had apparently had a heart attack while camping in his recreational vehicle during the Polar Bear/Klondike winter event. The man died at the scene, the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning produced by either the RV’s camper heater or a small propane heater being used to supplement it.

  Susan Parachini, program manager for Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Consumer Protection Division, has issued a report stating carbon monoxide poisoning kills about 200 people each year in the United States. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report following Hurricane Katrina that attributed 51 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning to the misuse of portable gasoline-powered appliances, mostly generators, being used for electrical power during clean-up. Fifty of those people died, four of them all in one house. Many more people suffer temporary health problems each year from short-term exposure and may never identify the culprit. Carbon monoxide poisoning can result in long-term neuro-psychiatric disorders (memory impairment, personality deterioration) in as many as one third of those exposed. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of carbon monoxide damage and death is that it’s completely preventable in almost every case. A carbon monoxide monitor with a low level indicator sounds an alarm when it detects the gas, just as smoke alarms do when smoke is present. They’re available in a range of prices at hardware and discount stores. They are generally battery-powered and some models have been combined to detect both smoke and carbon monoxide gas. CDC has now designed a warning tag that explains carbon monoxide poisoning risks and has asked generator manufactures to tag their products. Compliance is currently voluntary on the part of manufacturers, but it is one more tactic to safeguard those who use these appliances. Consumers should be aware.

  Any device that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Most often we think of portable heaters powered by propane or kerosene. With this year’s increase in heating costs, some folks might think it’s more economical to use these devices in addition to, or even as a substitute for, their whole house propane or natural gas furnaces. Not true, said Laubhan, who’s been doing some comparison research. Factor in the cost of the device, the cost of the fuel, the cost of travel/transport of the fuel, homeowner’s insurance impacts and the safety factor of fuel storage - the heaters often aren’t economical at all. If a heater causes a loved one sickness, or even death, it wouldn’t matter whether it saved any money or not.

  There are other sources of carbon monoxide poisoning that we may not think of. Improper venting of furnaces or blocked vents and chimneys can have the same effect. Using a kitchen stove as a supplemental heat source also produces carbon monoxide. (Check the flame color of appliances. Orange flame indicates a possible problem of incomplete fuel consumption, a source of carbon monoxide gas.) Horizontal gas grills are particularly prone to the problem. Charcoal grills or hibachis should never be used in an enclosed space – ever. Loose mortar or bricks on a chimney can slip and block the airway, as can accumulated snow and ice on exterior vents. The fresh air supply must also not be blocked as it’s needed for complete combustion of fuel. Complete combustion reduces pollutants and fumes. An unencumbered fresh air source aids in removing any pollutants that do remain.

  Pre-warming vehicles can also cause a build-up of carbon monoxide even when the vehicle is in a garage with the doors opened – even, in fact, when the vehicle is outside. If weather conditions keep the exhaust near the vehicle or if there are several vehicles together, such as a traffic jam, the carbon monoxide levels can build to the point of endangerment. Moisture condenses, then freezes, in the tailpipes of vehicles left running in cold weather. This causes holes in the tailpipe and results in carbon monoxide gas leaking into the vehicle. Working on, or operating any kind of gasoline-burning engine (a lawn mower or chainsaw, for example) in an attached garage can leak carbon monoxide to other areas of the home. Many of these appliances and practices are familiar to Gilpin residents.

  Laubhan said Gilpin Ambulance personnel are trained to check beyond the symptoms of the person they’ve been called to help. They’ll ask questions about other members of the family. Is there more than one family member ill at the same time? Are the symptoms similar? “These symptoms are not benign, they mean something,” he said. The elderly, pregnant women, those with heart or lung problems and children are especially vulnerable. Pets, because of their smaller size and generally higher metabolic rates, may be more severely affected with obvious symptoms like loss of coordination, confusion, vomiting, weakness and breathing difficulties. Just as the canary in the mine, observing pet health can serve as a tip to “bad” air, in this case a carbon monoxide problem.

  There are three basic steps to take if carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected: Evacuate, Ventilate, Investigate. The first is most important. Just as in a gas leak or a fire – get out of the affected area. The result of inefficient fuel consumption by appliances or heating devices is two-fold. The oxygen content is removed from the air during the burning process and the carbon monoxide levels rise at the same time until there is no oxygen at all. That’s why carbon monoxide poisoning is so deadly. It’s imperative to clear the area first, then open it up to fresh air so the carbon monoxide gas dissipates. When the area is safe to enter, locate the source of pollution and remove it or repair it. If someone is already showing the effects of the poisoning, immediately move him/her to fresh air and call for medical help. If the person isn’t breathing, perform artificial respiration as taught in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training until help arrives. Emergency personnel will likely administer oxygen as a first remedy. The person may need to be evacuated by helicopter to a hyperbaric chamber to prevent further damage. (A person with severe carbon monoxide poisoning will suffer from the painful condition known to deep-sea divers as “the bends.”) The closest chamber to Gilpin County is at Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital in Denver. Awareness and prevention, however, are the best “treatment” available to Gilpinites.