Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Published on: August 15, 2025

Researchers’ Bio-Engineered Molecule May be First-Ever Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. What to Know.

A new protein therapy discovered by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine may be the first-ever antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, officials with the school announced this week.

The announcement followed the publication of their new study in the journal for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This came after researchers had bio-medically engineered a new molecule that could prove fruitful with reversing the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. The new molecule, said study corresponding author Dr. Mark T. Gladwin, has fewer side effects than other molecules that are currently being tested, including only minimal changes to blood pressure.

“This has the potential to become a rapid, intravenous antidote for carbon monoxide that could be given in the emergency department or even in the field by first-responders,” he said.

Published on: August 11, 2025

Texas Teen Died After Sleeping in Mom’s Car. Could Carbon Monoxide be the Cause?

By Leesfield & Partners

Police in Texas believe that a 15-year-old girl who died after she was found unresponsive in her mother’s car may have succumbed to carbon monoxide exposure, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The incident happened around 3 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8 after the girl’s mother got off work. Police said the teen met her mom outside and the two stayed outside to talk and fell asleep in the vehicle while it was still running. Authorities told reporters that falling asleep in the car was “normal” for the family because they were recently unhoused and the “car is familiar to them.”

The mother discovered her 15-year-old when she later got up to wake her other daughter inside the home and came back to the car to find the girl unresponsive. The mother then started driving to the hospital and met first responders on the way. Tragically, the girl died at the hospital.

Published on: May 15, 2025

Naples Family Sues Airbnb After Son’s Carbon Monoxide Death. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Naples family is suing Airbnb after their son, 24, died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Brazilian rental apartment.

Sebastian Mejia had spent the last eight months studying indigenous communities aboard while pursuing his master’s degree at New York University. The young student already had a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean studies and international affairs alongside a minor in Portuguese.

He died while at the Rio de Janeiro Airbnb on Oct. 5, 2022. Rosa Martinez, Mejia’s mother, told reporters that a faulty gas water heater inside the bathroom where he was showering is to blame for the toxic gas in the air, WSVN reported this week. Martinez added that the water heater was installed “apparently” without the proper permission or maintenance. In addition to the improper installation, the exhaust pipe on the water heater was allegedly damaged, her lawsuit claims.