An elementary school employee was taken to the hospital for evaluation Monday morning after a propane gas leak in the school’s cafeteria, officials say.
Emergency responders were called out to Oriole Elementary, 3081 NW 39th St. in Lauderdale Lakes, around 9 a.m., according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The call was allegedly made after someone at the school reported smelling propane.
Officials inspected the school and deemed it was safe enough for students and teachers to return to their classrooms.
This comes just a week after a carbon monoxide leak at a Broward High School, according to previous reporting. In that incident, which also took place in a school cafeteria, at least five people were taken to the hospital for treatment after breathing in the toxic gas.
Propane vs. Carbon Monoxide
About 400 Americans die each year due to accidental carbon monoxide exposure, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control. Carbon monoxide is impossible to detect by the layperson as it does not exhibit a smell or color that would alert anyone to its presence. This is why carbon monoxide detectors are so instrumental in keeping families and individuals safe as they will go off when detecting too much carbon monoxide concentration in the air.
When a person breathes in the toxic gas it binds to the hemoglobin in their blood and inhibits the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. A person who has been exposed to carbon monoxide may show signs of lethargy, dizziness, confusion, nausea, and or confusion. Over 100,000 people visit the emergency room after breathing in the gas and 140,000 are hospitalized every year. The gas can leak from broken or improper maintenance of appliances like water heaters, generators and HVAC systems.
Much like carbon monoxide, propane gas is colorless, but it does have a smell. This is because manufacturers add a scent to help consumers detect a leak if there is one. Those who detect propane gas in the air have described it as smelling like rotten eggs or a skunk’s spray. Breathing in propane can displace oxygen in the lungs. Symptoms can include a headache, fatigue and lack of coordination. The effects of long-term exposure to the combustible gas include a stroke, coma or death.
In numbers from the National Fire Prevention Association, it is estimated that propane is the cause of 3,000 fires and explosions in the United States each year. These fires injure about 155 people annually and kill about 25 people.
Leesfield & Partners
As a top personal injury law firm with over four decades of experience representing clients and their families, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have extensive experience in all practice areas of personal injury law. Among these practice areas is exposure to carbon monoxide gas. Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, was instrumental in advocating for the passage of Senate Bill 1822 which outlines safety regulations to avoid carbon monoxide exposure including the adoption of carbon monoxide detectors.
Attorneys with the firm represented a family visiting Key West from Iowa after they were exposed to carbon monoxide gas leaking into their room from a faulty boiler room roof vent. At least two others who stayed at the hotel were also exposed to the gas. The case caught the attention of national news outlets and brought the issue to the desks of legislators and public safety advocates alike.
The firm also represented a young woman who was visiting university students when she was exposed to carbon monoxide as she slept in off-campus housing. All the appliances in the home were powered by gas, including the furnace. The home was owned by the school.
The cause of the leak was found to be an exhaust pipe for a gas furnace heating the house that was not functioning properly, allowing the gas to flow back into the house where the students slept. The young Leesfield & Partners client was rushed to the hospital after she was found unresponsive in her bed. Once there, doctors determined she had been exposed to the gas.
In a landmark case secured by Leesfield & Partners attorneys, a fumigation company working at a condominium negligently allowed the fumes to seep into nearby units. The fumigation company in that case was found strictly liable despite being unaware of the leak into the other unit because fumigation is a fundamentally dangerous business and can be considered an ultrahazardous activity.
A gas leak caused the accommodations of a newlywed couple on their honeymoon to explode, causing the couple to be badly burned and needing immediate medical treatment. The wife died soon after the explosion. Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a multi-million confidential award for the husband in that instance.
If you or a loved one was exposed to carbon monoxide or involved in a propane gas fire or explosion, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney fore a free consultation today at 800-836-6400.