Gas grill possible cause of carbon monoxide incident

An incident at Oak Palace Sunday, June 4, about 4 a.m. is under investigation for the cause of numbers of people to go to hospitals

Approximately 20 people were thought to have been exposed to carbon monoxide while attending a Rap concert at Oak Palace, according to reports.

Sources said the problem with people getting dizzy began around 4 a.m.

An earlier call to the facility for assistance at 2 a.m. brought the first attention to problems at the facility. A woman had a cut leg from glass in a broken-in vehicle in the parking lot.

A second call was received from the emergency room at Baptist Hospital in Oxford reporting that several people who attended the event tested positive for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Another similar report came in from Baptist Hospital in Union County in New Albany.

No confirmation of the source of the carbon monoxide has been reported.

According to sources, the owners Rolanda and Antjuan Lester notified Marshall County 911 of a possible leak in the building. Officials checked for gas leaks inside and outside the building for natural gas leaks and for

carbon monoxide inside the building. Tests were negative for the noxious, odorless gas, carbon monoxide, and for natural gas as well.

A gas propane grill was positioned outside the building near the entrance to the front steps at the kitchen door, sources said. The grill was near the air intake that draws outdoor air into the building and circulates the air inside.

Channel 3 news reported live a photograph that showed people lying outside the building.

No call for an ambulance nor a 911 call for help was reported.

The investigation is ongoing at this time to determine who was operating the grill.

A report by Fox 13 in Memphis, Tenn., said some people who became ill at the event tested for levels of carbon monoxide as high as 6 percent and some at 10.1 percent.

Unconsciousness, disorientation and death can occur at blood levels of 1.5 percent.

Common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Worse symptoms can be loss of balance, vision problems, loss of consciousness and death.

Milder symptoms appearing early can include a dull headache or shortness of breath upon mild exertion, weakness or fatigue.

Dangerous carboxyhemoglobin levels occur at 10 percent and severe poisoning is associated with levels of 20 percent or higher.

Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of metabolism, binds with hemoglobin and is released in the lungs to find its way out of the body, while oxygen breathed in binds with hemoglobin in the lungs and is carried to tissues for metabolism of nutrients. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of combustion that enters the body with the breath. It combines more strongly than carbon dioxide and blocks carbon dioxide from binding and thus exiting the body and the uptake of oxygen.

Death by asphyxiation is caused by inhalation of carbon monoxide.