Jan 11, 2019 2 min read

The death of a 20-year-old Canonsburg man who was found dead in his apartment earlier this week was a grim reminder of the dangers of carbon monoxide.

Canonsburg police said Brendan Downey had a carbon monoxide detector in his apartment, but it had no batteries. The building where he was found had a carbon monoxide reading of 400 parts per million, twice the level at which a respirator is required for first responders, according to Canonsburg fire Chief Tim Solobay. An elderly woman also was sickened in the building, and several other people were sent to a hospital to be checked.

Solobay said people should not ignore carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and should call their local fire department if they have any concerns about them.

“We have them to give away. We’d rather come out and help you get the detectors working again, rather than respond to a worst-case scenario, which unfortunately happened this morning,” Solobay said Monday.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are lethargy, headaches and nausea, which can sometimes be confused with other illnesses.

If you have any doubts, call for help. And, please, get yourself carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, if you don’t already have them, and keep them in proper working order.