13 people hospitalized for carbon monoxide exposure at Ohio hotel pool

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Thirteen people were hospitalized for exposure to carbon monoxide in Ohio after a 2-year-old girl lost consciousness in the pool of a Hampton Inn hotel.

Police Chief Tony Brooks told the Columbus Dispatch that dispatchers in Marysville received 911 calls that the girl had either fallen into the pool or was found unconscious in it around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Dispatchers soon received more calls reporting people unconscious.

Two of the patients are listed as being in critical condition after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning, but have since stabilized, hospital officials told CNN. Five patients are in serious condition and at least four other patients have since been released from the hospital.

Six of the patients were children, according to WSYX. It was not immediately clear what caused the high carbon monoxide levels.

"We did have life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide in the pool area of the hotel, and we transported several people to local hospitals," Marysville Fire Chief Jay Riley told CNN. "We continue the investigation into the source and glad that no one died as a result of their exposure."

Officials told the Columbus Dispatch that the hotel was evacuated, and that hotel management booked guests at other hotels nearby.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, vomiting, confusion and chest pains, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can cause death.

"Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized," according to the CDC.