A move by a caretaker of a construction site to warm his house using a burning jiko turned tragic when he died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a village in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County.
The incident happened in Konyango area and involved one Bernard Lukamika Mita, 55 who lived in an iron sheet structure.
His body was found outside the structure with vomit around it. He had been sickly since July 12 and was on medication. Police said he lit a charcoal jiko to warm himself on July 16 and fell unconscious before he tried to run out of the structure after realising he was losing breath.
He vomited blood from inside the house up to the doorstep, where he fell and died. Police said the body did not have any visible injuries when they moved it to the mortuary pending an autopsy.
Carbon monoxide is regarded a silent killer. A burning jiko emits carbon monoxide, which is deadly. Carbon monoxide poisoning is more likely to occur when people are asleep.
The team wants to establish if the woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning or it was set there. Carbon monoxide poisoning, always referred to as ‘the silent killer’ happens when the toxic odourless gases emitted from burning wood or charcoal mix with blood and affect oxygen circulation in the body.
When one breathes in carbon monoxide, it enters the blood, mixes with the red blood cells’ haemoglobin to form poisonous carboxyhaemoglobin that prevents blood from transporting oxygen.
Officials warn against the use of jiko in poorly ventilated places.
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