Poison gas closes Kangiqsujuaq school

Staff at Arsaniq school in Kangiqsujuaq complained of headaches Feb. 9 just before carbon monoxide was detected in the building. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

Staff and students at Kangiqsujuaq’s Arsaniq school missed three days of school last week while firefighters and maintenance workers tried to find the source of carbon monoxide in the school building.

But not before they’d spent a day— and possibly longer— at school inhaling the poisonous fumes.

This carbon monoxide leak in this Nunavik school has since raised concerns about the lack of detection devices for this potentially dangerous gas and of plans for evacuation, when necessary.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, and when inhaled, it can headaches, vertigo, depression, confusion, memory loss and flu-like effects. More exposure can affect the nervous system and heart, and even cause death.

But because it’s colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating, the gas, which is often produced by older motor vehicles, and other gasoline-powered tools, heaters or cooking equipment, is hard for people to detect.

On the morning of Feb. 9, after a few teachers at Arsaniq complained about headaches and noxious fumes in their classroom, students and teachers were sent home before lunch, said Kativik School Board spokeswoman Debbie Astroff.

The local fire department was then called in to investigate, but found nothing, and the school was re-opened for the afternoon.

Arsaniq is not equipped with carbon monoxide monitors, but a teacher brought in a home tester for the gas and found some in a number of classrooms.

Firefighters were called back to the school and, using the borrowed device, confirmed readings of the toxic gas throughout the school.

About 25 staff and students were sent to the local nursing station that evening.

Some were treated with oxygen; one pregnant teacher was kept overnight and then medevaced to Kuujjuaq where her baby was monitored for a rapid heartbeat.

Both were found healthy.

On Feb. 10, the school was closed for the day while the KSB called in local heating technician Yaaka Jaaka to check the mechanical systems in the school’s furnace room.

The school board suspects the fumes came from a school bus parked outside the school a day earlier with its engine running, which spewed exhaust into classrooms with open windows.

But Jaaka discovered that the fresh air intake, which is required to maintain an even pressure in the mechanical system, was shut and likely pushing poisonous fumes through the school’s ventilation system.

And, because he had heard people in the school community complain about headaches for weeks leading up to the school closure, Jaaka suspects that carbon monoxide had been present in the school for some time.

Jaaka told Nunatsiaq News that he is concerned the gas wasn’t detected sooner and, that even when it was, the school wasn’t evacuated right away.

The school did not appear to have any protocol to deal with the potentially deadly situation, he said.

“I find it disturbing that the firefighters were called in and they didn’t know how to respond to the situation,” Jaaka said. “They didn’t have monitors, nor did they know how to use them.”

There was no type of alarm to warn people in the school, he said, adding that some staff spent the good part of the day and evening in the building.

“The effects [of inhaling carbon monoxide] are such that you don’t know it’s there until it’s too late,” he said.

Although the furnace’s fresh air damper was repaired, Kangiqsujuaq’s education committee asked the school board to send a maintenance person to ensure there was no more carbon monoxide in the school before it re-opened.

A technician from Kuujjuaq arrived Feb. 14. The readings were normal and the school re-opened Feb. 15.

Jaaka said he hopes the incident will be a wake-up call to authorities to ensure a procedure is in place to detect the presence of the toxic gas in the future and provide a plan of action to evacuate and treat those exposed to it.

“In all the region’s communities, we have a vested interest in our schools because that’s where out children spend their whole day,” Jaaka said. “I challenge them to look at what’s in place.”

The KSB has ordered carbon monoxide sensors for the school’s ventilation system, which will arrive in a few weeks.