Just yesterday, an unfortunate event struck a group of four Singaporean tourists in Taipei, where they were sent to a hospital for testing of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning levels in their blood, International Business Times reports.
Taiwanese media reported that the incident transpired around 1am while the tourists showered with the apartment windows shut due to the cold — though they were already open by the time firefighters arrived.
Investigations in the apartment – which belonged to a friend of the tourists – revealed the apartment’s concentration of CO gas had been approximately 40ppm, which experts stated to be slightly higher than the minimum harmful level of 35ppm. According to World Health Organisation standards, a person should not expose themselves to an average CO gas range of 52ppm for over half an hour.
The four men were given oxygen treatment outside the apartment. They complained of dizziness, but didn’t report any other discomfort.
Authorities believe the source of the gas could possibly originate from the water heater in the apartment. This isn’t the first such case of CO poisoning in a Taiwanese apartment too.
Back in December 2015, Apple Daily reported that a Singaporean family of six staying in a rental apartment at Taipei City’s Xining South Road for a holiday was also rushed to the hospital due to CO poisoning, with the source believed to also be from the water heater installed in the apartment’s balcony. The family managed to recover and continue with their holiday schedule after the incident.
