A second person has died as a result of a carbon monoxide leak at St. Mary's Villa in Humboldt.
The leak occurred on December 26 and one resident of the senior's long-term care home died shortly after being admitted to Humboldt District Hospital the same day.
The woman, 94, who died January 4, was admitted to the hospital on December 26 and had remained there since, receiving treatment. She had underlying health conditions, but the carbon monoxide aggravated those conditions and led to her death, explained Dr. David Poulin, vice president medical affairs with the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR).
"The carbon monoxide leaves the system fairly quickly, but the lack of oxygen in the blood causes problems, particularly in people with heart conditions," Poulin said.
For most people, who are healthy, there are no long-term effects after the carbon monoxide is out of their system, but anyone with underlying health conditions should be monitored by their physician, he added.
The name of the woman has not been released as requested by the family.
Residents, staff and two visiting family members were moved out of the Dust Wing of the Villa after a SaskEnergy employee confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide. Most of those affected were treated at the Humboldt District Hospital on December 26 and then transferred back to the Villa after the building was aired out.
The leak has been blamed on a boiler failure, which was repaired before residents were moved back into the facility. The backdraft that sent the gas into the heating vents was caused by a damper that didn't open properly and by a plugged filter that was not properly sealed, explained Anne Neufeld, interim vice-president of finance and administration for SHR, in a press release.
There were no carbon monoxide detectors in the facility at the time of the incident, although several were installed shortly afterwards. The SHR is reportedly reviewing the need for carbon monoxide detectors in health care facilities and is working with the province on an implementation plan for all health care facilities.
The regional coroner is investigating both deaths.
The name of Father Roman Schneider, 89, the person to die because of this leak, was never released by the SHR. The region did confirm media reports regarding his identity.
