Key Developments as of January 9, 2012

• According to information available to date, 448 cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have been reported to the surveillance system since September 1, 2011, including 38 cases between December 26, 2011, and January 8, 2012. Since September 1, 2011, 1,499 people have been exposed to CO fumes, 236 of whom were hospitalized.

• The use of a barbecue in a community hall on New Year’s Eve, December 31, caused a mass poisoning incident involving 33 people.

• During construction work on a house under construction, two workers were fatally poisoned by a generator placed inside the dwelling. Since September 1, 2011, of the 12 deaths reported to the surveillance system, 6 were linked to the use of a generator in an enclosed space.

• Since September 1, 2011, 31 reports of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the operation of a generator in an enclosed space have been reported to the surveillance system, 26 of which occurred accidentally in residential settings. These incidents exposed 93 people to CO fumes. The Directorate General of Health (DGS) and the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (INPES) remind the public that generators must be placed outside buildings.