HOUSTON, May 27, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Houston researchers say many of the
children treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after Hurricane Ike were playing
video games powered by generators.
Two million homes in Texas were without power, following Hurricane Ike and while
some scrambled to preserve food using gasoline-powered generators, others used
them to run televisions and video game systems.
Dr. Caroline Fife at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
said of the 37 individuals treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after the
hurricane, 20 were under the age of 20. In nine of those cases, researchers were
able to speak with families to determine why a generator was being used -- of 75
percent of those cases, the generator was used to run video games.
Home generators -- used indoors or in an attached garage -- give off odorless
carbon monoxide that can cause symptoms such as headaches and nausea. If exposed
for a longer length of time, death can occur.
"Discovering that generators are so frequently used to power entertainment
devices for children suggests that school programs should be considered in
states at risk for hurricane-related power outages," Fife said in a statement.
All of the patients were treated at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, the
only hospital in Houston with a hyperbaric oxygen treatment center needed to
treat patients with carbon monoxide poisoning.
The findings are published in the June issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International