Montreal public health is urging caution Friday after receiving nearly 60 reports of carbon monoxide poisoning incidents in the aftermath of a major ice storm.
The department said “many families” have been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning, which is putting additional pressure on already overwhelmed hospital emergency rooms.
“The situation is particularly concerning in the neighbourhoods of LaSalle, Montreal North, Saint-Laurent, Ahuntsic and Pierrefonds,” public health said in a statement.
The city was hard hit by Wednesday’s bouts of freezing rain, which led to ice-coated trees crashing onto power lines. At the peak of the power outages, more than 450,000 Montreal households were left in the dark. Thousands were still without power Friday.
Montreal public health is asking residents affected by the outages to not use barbecues, camping equipment and propane-fuelled cooking devices indoors. They must only be used outside due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Carbon monoxide is a poisonous, odourless, colourless and tasteless gas that is generated by combustion,” public health said.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, fatigue, visual anomalies, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, it can lead to loss of consciousness and convulsions — and even death.
Anyone who does not have power can go to one of Montreal’s emergency centres to warm up and charge their electronic devices. Public health also says libraries, cultural centres and shopping malls are good options to get out of the cold and dark.