Sixth Case of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Shenzhen; Seven Total Dead

On February 5th around 20:00, a young couple was found dead in their bathroom from carbon monoxide poisoning in a rented apartment in the Bao'an district of Shenzhen. This is the sixth reported case of carbon monoxide poisoning in recent memory – a tragedy that has now claimed a total of seven lives. A reporter who visited some of the city villages in the area of the most recent case found that many tenants are still using "vertical-type" water heaters (直排式热水器) which were previously deemed unsafe and have been banned in the areas' second-hand shops. In addition, many of the water heaters hadn’t been properly installed. While the reporter went around looking at various rental apartments, it was found that four of the ten apartments were still using a vertical-type water heater; in three of the apartments it was installed in the bathroom.

Because of the significant risks surrounding vertical-type water heaters, the State Light Industry Bureau and the State Internal Trade Bureau explicitly banned their production in 1999, and the sale of a vertical-type water heater was banned on May 1st, 2000.