Death probe of ex-Yankee's son triggers carbon monoxide warnings from experts
Experts are speaking out about the potential dangers attached to carbon monoxide, as authorities continue to probe the death of teen Miller Gardner, son of former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner.
While the cause of Miller Gardner's death remains unconfirmed, Costa Rican Judicial Investigative Agency (OIJ) General Director Randall Zúñiga told reporters at a press conference on Monday that high levels of carbon monoxide contamination were found in the Gardner family's hotel room, and that it might have caused the teen's death.
"Which then leads us towards a line of investigation in which it seems that this person could have died from inhaling these very dangerous gases," Zúñiga said.
Zúñiga said investigators who work on a specialized dangerous atmospheres team detected "high emissions of pollution of…carbon monoxide" in the room at Costa Rica's Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, which is where the Gardners were staying.
Officials at the hotel are denying the carbon monoxide claims.
DEATH OF EX-YANKEE'S SON IN COSTA RICA HAS EXPERTS SOUNDING ALARM ON HEALTHY TRAVEL
"The levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal. There was an error in this initial reporting. As mentioned, we await for conclusive results to confirm the cause of this unfortunate death," a hotel spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The spokesperson also said the room has been "closed off out of an abundance of precaution."
Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, said no parent should ever have to endure the tragedy of losing a child.
In regard to carbon monoxide, she said the gas is "a silent, deadly threat."
"We often focus on smoke alarms, but carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and can overcome a person before they even realize what's happening," Saphier told Fox News Digital.
Saphier said every household should have multiple functioning carbon monoxide detectors, especially near sleeping areas.
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"When we travel — whether staying at a hotel, Airbnb, or even in an RV — it’s worth considering bringing a portable carbon monoxide monitor for added protection," she suggested.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and a Fox News senior medical analyst, said, "symptoms can come on rapidly within minutes or hours and can include headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and vomiting."
If you experience symptoms that you think could be from carbon monoxide poisoning, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends opening doors and windows, turning off combustion appliances and leaving the building.
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Siegel said prompt treatment with oxygen can sometimes reverse carbon monoxide poisoning.
"It is absolutely shocking to me that it took this long to be disclosed as a likely cause of death, when they could have done a test for carbon monoxide in [Miller Gardener's] blood within hours during his autopsy weeks ago," Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Between 2009 and 2019, deaths from non-fire-related carbon monoxide poisoning were on the rise, according to a report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in March 2023.
Fox News Digital reached out to OIJ in Costa Rica for additional comment.