Death of 3,000 Iranians in 3 Years Due to Gas Poisoning

The secretary of Iran’s central information office for drugs and poisons announced the silent death of more than 3,000 Iranian citizens due to carbon monoxide poisoning between 2011 and 2014.

Yasna Bemani, secretary of Iran’s central information office for drugs and poisons, reported the death of three thousand people in three years due to gas poisoning.

According to ILNA citing IFDHONA, Bemani stated that between 2011 and 2014, approximately three thousand people in Iran lost their lives due to carbon monoxide poisoning. According to him, in the first five months of the current year (2016), 193 cases, or 9 percent of deaths caused by carbon monoxide, were reported to the central information office for drugs and poisons by the country’s medical examiner’s office, representing a 37 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous year (141 people).

The secretary of Iran’s central information office for drugs and poisons stated that this tragedy can be prevented by “prioritizing the safety of gas-burning appliances, heating devices, and equipment that use fossil fuels such as oil and diesel.”

He described carbon monoxide poisoning as one of the deadliest types of poisoning that can result in silent death, gradually killing a person who has fallen asleep.

Signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Symptoms of carbon monoxide gas poisoning can in some cases manifest as gastrointestinal disorders, such as nausea and vomiting.

Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can also result in consequences such as headaches, dizziness, severe migraines, tinnitus, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, loss of consciousness, permanent nerve damage, coma, and death.

In children, prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide gas leads to behavioral disorders, memory loss, and reduced intelligence quotient, and poisoning symptoms in them more often manifest as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

First Aid

Yasna Bemani stated that the first action when dealing with a person poisoned by carbon monoxide gas and other gases is to move them to fresh air. If the poisoned patient stops breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be initiated and emergency services should be contacted as quickly as possible.

Effective Prevention Tips

The secretary of Iran’s central information office for drugs and poisons considered adherence to certain points effective in preventing gas poisoning.

– Avoid keeping children inside a running vehicle in shopping center parking lots. Yasna Bemani said: “Upon reaching the entrance of such parking lots, ask your companion to remove the child from the vehicle and take them to open space and turn off the air circulation system from outside to inside the car.”

– Long-term cigarette consumption can cause chronic poisoning in smokers due to the presence of carbon monoxide gas.

– According to Bemani, the use of heaters without chimneys is only permitted in environments with proper ventilation and air circulation, such as crowded public places, and people by taking seriously the warnings regarding the use of heating devices can keep their families safe from silent death.

– When using oil and gas heaters, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, it is essential to ensure proper installation and correct functioning of chimneys.

– Before turning on gas heaters at the beginning of winter, first make sure: Is the heater’s chimney properly connected to the heater’s body? Is the heater’s roof chimney outlet open or has it been blocked due to an obstruction during the warm seasons? Is the gas pipe connection to the gas heater’s body properly made? Is the heater standard and equipped with a pilot so that when the flame goes out for any reason, the gas flow is cut off? After turning on the heater, is the chimney pipe cold or hot to the touch? If the chimney is cold, ventilation is not working properly and gas is spreading in the environment.

– Do not use cooking stoves for the purpose of heating closed environments, including vehicle interiors. Being in closed parking lots where cars are running with their engines on carries the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Therefore, the parking door should be opened before starting the car.

– Stopping inside a closed parking lot with air conditioning on can lead to death.

– Also, the use of oil or gas water heaters or package units inside bathrooms or small closed spaces will result in incomplete combustion and gas poisoning.

Source: DW