Carbon monoxide poisoning at an indoor ice arena and bingo hall--Seattle, 1996

On March 16, 1996, paramedics and fire department personnel were requested to evaluate complaints of illness among persons exposed to exhaust fumes in an indoor ice skating facility in Seattle. Indoor-air measurements detected elevated levels of carbon monoxide (CO), prompting evacuation of the building. An investigation of the cluster of CO poisonings related to the exposure was conducted March 16-18, by a pulmonary and hyperbaric medicine physician who treated one of the ill persons. This report summarizes the investigation findings, which underscore the importance of adequate maintenance of machinery equipped with internal combustion engines that are operated at indoor ice arenas and of proper ventilation of such arenas.