Mallinckrodt Elementary in St. Louis Evacuated for Carbon Monoxide

Mallinckrodt Elementary in South St. Louis was evacuated today after traces of carbon monoxide were detected. According to the St. Louis public school system, water had accumulated in the basement of the school building due to the melting snow. Maintenance workers were using generators to siphon the water out of the basement, and the running generators is what caused the carbon monoxide.

The school’s carbon monoxide detectors were in good working order thankfully, so alarms sounded notifying everyone to get out of the building. Emergency services arrived and cleared the carbon monoxide from the building. There were no reports of any injuries or fainting.

The maintenance workers should have known that running the generators indoors would cause unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in the building. Generators are not safe to run indoors or in other enclosed areas because generators run on gas/oil. The emissions from running the generator will create unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in the space.

To avoid unsafe levels of carbon monoxide from generator exhaust, you should always keep airflow going, rather than letting the generator run in an enclosed space. Safety experts recommend keeping the generator outside or inside in areas where there is adequate ventilation.

There is also danger of carbon monoxide poisoning when using generators outdoors but in close proximity to vents, windows, doors and other openings. Essentially, if the generator is close enough to an opening in your home, harmful carbon monoxide emissions can build up and threaten you and your family’s health.

For more safety tips, be sure to check back on our blog frequently. If you or someone you love was injured through someone else’s negligence, such as running a generator indoors, then contact a St. Louis personal injury attorney at Fox Goldblatt & Singer PC today.