Many fans of video games say they're addictive.
But are they worth dying for?
After Hurricane Ike hit Texas last September, many people fired up gasoline-powered generators not to turn on their lights or refrigerators but to play video games, a study in today's Pediatrics says.
Running a generator in a garage -- a common mistake after storms -- can cause a dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that sends 50,000 Americans to the emergency room each year.
Of the 37 people treated for carbon monoxide poisoning at one Houston hospital in the first 36 hours after the storm, 21 were in homes where generators were run to play video games, says author Caroline Fife. Fifteen of these victims were children, not including one 3-year-old who died before getting to the hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center.
Nearly 2 million people lost power during the storm, and 1 million remained without power one week later, the study says. Many patients said they were afraid to leave generators outdoors for fear of theft, Fife says. Floodwaters also can make it hard to place generators outside.
Fife says it was difficult to entertain children after the hurricane, when fallen trees, live power lines and newly homeless animals made it too dangerous for kids to play outside.
And children and adults alike have come to see video games and cellphones as essential, says Fife, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Research shows that children spend 25% of their waking hours, or 41/2 hours a day, with TV or video games.
Yet children weren't the ones who turned on the generators, which are complicated to operate, Fife says. Parents were operating them, in some cases to enjoy video games themselves.
Generators should never be used indoors, even in a garage, because carbon monoxide can seep into the house, says Fuyuen Yip, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They should always be used outdoors.
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