Health
Carbon monoxide poisons five family members in Portland apartment during power outage
A family of five was hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, according to local reports.
Investigators said the poisoning was the result of the family’s use of a generator and cooking with propane inside an apartment.
“Someone called 911 because a child approximately 8 years old was found lying in the snow outside,” Lt. Terry Foster, a fire inspector for Portland Fire & Rescue, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
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“When crews arrived, they did a search of the apartment and found four people lying on the floor of the apartment and began removing them. They were all transported by American Medical Response.”
The investigators found high volumes of carbon monoxide in the apartment, where a generator and camp stove were being used, Foster said.
A family of five was hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday. “When crews arrived, they did a search of the apartment and found four people lying on the floor of the apartment and began removing them,” a fire inspector told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“These devices were what led to this emergency.”
The occupants were conscious when transported, but were exhibiting symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, Foster said.
The adjacent apartments were checked and evacuated.
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“Crews were able to ventilate the structure and residents were able to move back in quickly,” Foster noted.
A severe winter storm hit Portland on Saturday, leaving thousands of people without power.
The apartment complex had not had access to heat since a tree fell on a powerline across the street the previous day.
The investigators (not shown) found high volumes of carbon monoxide in the apartment, where a generator and camp stove were being used. (iStock)
“DO NOT use generators indoors because carbon monoxide is a silent, colorless, odorless, tasteless killer,” Portland Fire & Rescue advised in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Isabela Royer, a woman who lives across the hall from the family that was poisoned, called 911 after one of the family members knocked on her door, she told a local news outlet.
“He’s right there and he says, ‘Help me, please,’” Royer said.
“I walk out into the hallway, and I look down the stairs at the bay window seating area and his child is throwing up, heaving, obviously sick.”
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“I dragged the kid outside to get some fresh air and some other guy from their family pulled up and started pulling the rest of the people out of the house,” Royer continued.
“The door to their apartment was open and I saw the generator and I knew right away,” she added.
The patients were all conscious when they were transported to the hospital, officials said. (iStock)
Foster said he reached out to the investigator on Tuesday, who reported that they had no further information about the patients.
The lieutenant also reminded residents that if they’re unable to warm themselves safely, Multnomah County offers warming shelters throughout the county.
“You can call 2-1-1 to help get you there,” he said.
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The most dangerous outcomes of carbon monoxide poisoning can include death, permanent organ damage and long-term neurological effects, according to Dr. Dung Trinh, a brain health expert and owner of The Healthy Brain Clinic in Long Beach, California.
“Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that can bind to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing its ability to carry oxygen, leading to tissue hypoxia and damage to vital organs,” he previously told Fox News Digital.
The most dangerous outcomes of carbon monoxide poisoning can include death, permanent organ damage and long-term neurological effects. (iStock)
The effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can vary depending on the severity of the exposure and individual factors.
Those at highest risk include infants, elderly individuals, pregnant women and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiac conditions, Trinh said.
Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning claims at least 420 lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Health
Switching from cigarettes to vapes linked to higher risk of major eye diseases, large study finds
US cigarette smoking drops to record low, vaping and nicotine pouch use surges
Fox News medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel discusses a New England Journal of Medicine study reporting US adult cigarette smoking rates dropped to a record low of 9.9% in 2024. Siegel warns about the addictive nature of vaping and nicotine pouches, which contain high levels of nicotine. He expresses concern over potential GI tract and heart issues, stressing social media’s role in promoting these products to younger generations.
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Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a massive nationwide study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology suggests that smokeless alternatives could increase the risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine altogether.
Researchers from the Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, analyzed health data from a group of 179,273 adults through the Korean National Health Insurance Service, according to a press release.
All participants had smoked traditional cigarettes between 2011 and 2012 and then quit smoking by 2018 or 2019, they reported.
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To ensure a fair comparison, the researchers paired up participants who shared similar backgrounds, including their age, gender, medical history, existing health conditions and general lifestyle habits.
Switching from cigarettes to electronic vapes is often seen as a healthier move, but a large study suggests it could pose a risk to eye health. (iStock)
This process created a balanced group of 32,316 matched participants, who were divided into two categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products and those who transitioned to smokeless nicotine products, such as vapes.
The researchers followed the participants for an average of 4.6 years to determine whether they developed eye conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and focus-related eyesight disorders.
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Over the tracking period, the group experienced a total of 6,328 major eye disease events. People who quit nicotine entirely had the lowest disease rate in the study, at 41.1 cases per 1,000 person-years (a measure that accounts for both the number of people in the study and how long they were followed).
In comparison, that rate rose to 44 cases for individuals who had switched over to smokeless alternatives like vapes.
The people included in the study were divided into two main categories: complete quitters who stopped using all nicotine products, and switchers who transitioned to smokeless tobacco or nicotine products, like vapes. (iStock)
Ultimately, the data showed that switching to alternative nicotine products carried a steady 7% increased risk of serious eye diseases compared to quitting nicotine completely.
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Most notably, those who switched faced a 24% higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
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Additionally, those who ditched cigarettes for vapes had a 7% higher risk of developing refractive and accommodation disorders, which affect the eye’s ability to focus clearly.
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“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted.
“These findings challenge the assumption that substituting noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products for conventional cigarettes is visually harmless,” the researchers noted. (iStock)
The authors did point out a few limitations of the research. Because this was a study looking back at health insurance data, it cannot definitively prove that vaping directly causes eye damage.
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Additionally, the study relied on people filling out questionnaires about their own smoking and vaping habits, which can sometimes lead to underreporting or simple memory errors.
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Still, the researchers concluded the findings suggest that replacing cigarettes with alternative nicotine products may not eliminate the risk of certain eye diseases.
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