Key Developments as of January 23, 2012

• According to information available to date, 545 cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have been reported to the surveillance system since September 1, 2011, including 60 cases between January 9 and 22, 2012. Since September 1, 2011, 1,798 people have been exposed to CO fumes, 297 of whom were hospitalized.

• A mass exposure incident, which occurred in a municipal hall, exposed 29 people to CO fumes due to a defect in the exhaust duct of an old oil-fired boiler.

• A family of two adults and one child suffered fatal carbon monoxide poisoning while using a generator placed inside their single-family home.

• Since September 1, 2011, 36 reports of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the operation of a generator in an enclosed space have been reported to the surveillance system, 31 of which occurred accidentally in residential settings. These incidents exposed 110 people to carbon monoxide fumes; 9 died. The Directorate General for Health and the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education remind the public that generators must be placed outside buildings.