In one of the largest cases of carbon monoxide poisoning that we recall, 42 students at the Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island, N.Y., this weekend were hospitalized following a leak of the lethal gas, according to The Los Angeles Times.
A spokewoman for North Shore University Hospital told The Times that eight of the students, called midshipmen, were treated at her facility after being brought there at 11 p.m. Sunday. They were released about four hours later. The rest of the students, who are being trained to be officers in the merchant marine, were taken to other medical facilities for treatment.
Authorities suspect that a faulty water heater was responsible for the carbon monoxide leak, The Times reported.
Recently there was a recall of Navien water heaters, because of a faulty hose connection that could lead to a carbon monoxide leak. But there was no mention of what type of water heater the academy had.
The academy is located in Kings Point, some 20 miles from New York City.
The Times quoted several statistics about carbon monoxide poisoning from the Centers for Disease Control in its story. Carbon monoxide accounts for more than 20,000 emergency visits each year. In additon, 4,000 are hospitalized and 400 die from exposure to the colorless, odorless gas.
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