More than fifty people suffered carbon monoxide poisoning at a Mormon Church in Utah - with 22 victims left hospitalized. Emergency medical services were called to the 'Monroe East' LDS chapel for three separate patients, including a four-year-old girl with breathing problems, according to the Sevier County Sheriff's Office.
Fifty-four attendees of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Utah reported symptoms and twenty-two sought treatment at Sevier Valley Hospital.
'This required 10 ambulance transports to get everyone to a hospital that had a hyperbaric chamber that could treat the patients,' the church said in a statement.
In a discussion of this on reddit, someone posted some interesting information:
In Utah, it is against the law for cities and counties to require properties built before 2004 to have CO detectors. It's actually becoming a major issue. Utah Poison Control gets over 200 calls every winter.
SALT LAKE CITY — Fire departments, 911 dispatchers and poison control centers get hundreds of calls every year regarding carbon monoxide poisoning.
In 2015 and 2016, the Salt Lake City Fire Department responded a total of 350 CO-related calls; the Utah Poison Control Center receives 200 such calls every winter.
The colorless, odorless gas is deadly, and the KSL Investigators found little-known Utah law is putting families at risk of being poisoned.
HB402, which was passed by the Utah Legislature in 2009, prevents cities and counties in the state from requiring building owners to install CO detectors in their properties built before 2004. The law passed after Ogden City started requiring detectors in all the residential properties within their borders...
The article is from 2019, I don't know if it's still a valid assessment, but based on the comments of local people in the thread, it seems to be.
[–]Jumpy_Cobbler7783 3 points an hour ago
The detectors available now are not only hard wired but daisy chained together in combination with the fire detection and would go to an alarm panel for the buildings and notify an alarm monitoring company.
The MFMC won't spend a dime on the chapels only the gaudy monstrosity that temples have become for Masonic cosplay.
All capital purchases like the detectors would be through nepotistic suppliers that are owned by or related to the Brethren - here's Nemo the Mormon about the temples:
I can almost guarantee that the Church will try to refuse to pay for the medical expenses from this cluster “F” - wouldn't surprise me if Kirton McConkie wasn't working on it as we speak.
Are we sure that the Ward wasn't faking this whole "carbon monoxide poisoning" incident, just to get out early? If it's anything like our Ward, people would go to any length to get out early.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Are we sure that the Ward wasn't faking this whole "carbon monoxide poisoning" incident, just to get out early? If it's anything like our Ward, people would go to any length to get out early.
I wonder, perhaps this comment which seems like an exaggeration may contain an important truth.
I'm sure replacing faulty, aging and risky HVAC/heating systems in 'church' buildings is probably the last thing on Salt Lake's list of things to do, I mean, they have investments to make, malls to run and a city for 500,000 in Florida to think about.
