Gauthier Saskia, Grass Hildegard, Lory Martin, Krämer Thomas, Thali Michael, Bartsch Christine
Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Ann Occup Hyg. 2012 Aug;56(7):755-63. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/mes047.
The installation of wood pellet heating as a cost-effective and climatically neutral source of energy for private households has increased steadily in recent years. We report two deaths that occurred within the space of about a year in wood pellet storerooms of private households in German-speaking countries and were investigated by forensic medical teams. This is the first report of fatalities in this special context as is shown in the literature review. Both victims died of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning; one of the victims was a woman who was 4 months pregnant. Measurements at the scene detected life-threatening CO concentrations (7500 ppm, >500 ppm), which were not significantly reduced after ventilation of the storerooms as required by regulations. We carried out a series of experiments in order to confirm CO production by wood pellets. Thirty kilograms of freshly produced pellets from two different manufacturers were stored for 16 days in airtight containers at 26°C with different relative humidities. CO concentrations between 3100 and 4700 ppm were measured in all containers. There were no notable differences between the wood pellet products or storage at different humidities. Emission of CO from wood pellets has already been described, but fatal accidents have previously been reported only in association with pellet transport on cargo ships or storage in silos. It is therefore a new finding that fatal accidents may also occur in the wood pellet storerooms of private households. We show that significant CO concentrations can build up even when these rooms are ventilated in accordance with the regulations and that such levels may cause the death of healthy persons, as described in the following. As the safety recommendations from the wood pellet industry are inadequate, we consider that further fatal accidents are likely to occur and recommend urgent revision of the safety regulations.
近年来，作为一种经济高效且气候中和的能源，家用木质颗粒供暖系统的安装量稳步增长。我们报告了两起死亡事件，发生在德语国家的私人家庭木质颗粒储藏室，时间间隔约为一年，由法医团队进行调查。如文献综述所示，这是该特殊情况下死亡事件的首次报告。两名受害者均死于一氧化碳（CO）中毒；其中一名受害者是一名怀孕4个月的女性。现场测量发现危及生命的CO浓度（7500 ppm，>500 ppm），按照规定对储藏室通风后，浓度并未显著降低。我们进行了一系列实验以确认木质颗粒会产生CO。将来自两个不同制造商的30千克新生产颗粒在26°C、不同相对湿度条件下于密封容器中储存16天。所有容器中测得的CO浓度在3100至4700 ppm之间。木质颗粒产品之间以及在不同湿度下储存时均未发现显著差异。木质颗粒排放CO的情况此前已有描述，但此前仅报告过与货船上颗粒运输或筒仓储存相关的致命事故。因此，私人家庭木质颗粒储藏室也可能发生致命事故是一项新发现。我们表明，即使这些房间按照规定通风，也可能积聚显著的CO浓度，且如以下所述，这样的浓度可能导致健康人死亡。由于木质颗粒行业的安全建议不足，我们认为可能会发生更多致命事故，并建议紧急修订安全法规。
