Fumes Are No Stranger To Ice World -- Shoreline Rink, Others Have Had High Levels Of Carbon Monoxide

The carbon-monoxide buildup that sent 72 people from the Highland Ice Arena to local hospitals is neither a rare occurrence in the ice-skating world nor the first time the poisonous gas has exceeded acceptable levels inside the Shoreline rink.

Firefighters evacuated nearly 300 people from the ice rink and adjacent bingo hall at 18005 Aurora Avenue North about 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Twenty-two medic units and a Metro bus transported people to a half-dozen hospitals, where they were given blood tests, oxygen and, in one case, treatment in a hyperbaric chamber before being released.

"Everyone noticed they were getting really tired, and even though they went to rest, they didn't recover," said Loel Hendrickson, who was playing hockey at the time. "Nobody could function."

Firefighters measured carbon-monoxide levels at 354 parts per million (ppm) inside the rink, said Shoreline Fire Battalion Chief Rick Ashleman. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established an acceptable average level for businesses of 35 ppm during an eight-hour period.

Rick Stephens, who owns the rink with his parents and sister, said the fumes were caused by a 20-year-old ice-resurfacing machine known by its brand name, Zamboni.

"Exactly what went wrong, we don't know yet," Stephens said. "Until I take it apart, I won't know if we have a cracked header or a valve seat is gone."

He said the machine that caused the trouble was a backup that since Friday has been filling in for a newer one being repaired. He said the building's ventilation system alternates with a dehumidifier and may have been off when the Zamboni was running.

Shoreline Fire Battalion Chief Dave Andrews said the Zamboni is fueled by propane. The fuel normally is clean, but carbon monoxide can result from incomplete combustion.

Tests yesterday morning showed the carbon-monoxide level in the rink was only two parts per million, Andrews said. The fire department will monitor carbon-monoxide levels several more times, plus the rink has its own monitoring equipment, which was inoperable Saturday, he said.

Stephens said he did not suffer from symptoms Saturday but acknowledged it was not the first time carbon monoxide has been a concern at the rink.

Nearly a decade ago, a hockey player complained of dizziness, prompting the state Department of Labor and Industries to measure the carbon-monoxide level. When it registered 70 ppm, the state referred the case to the Seattle-King County Health Department, which wrote a strongly worded letter to the Stephens family, asking them to overhaul their Zamboni.

Stephens recalled the rink being tested about a decade ago. He said his family completely rebuilt the engine on the troublesome Zamboni, the one used Saturday night.

But some hockey players remember other incidents.

Hendrickson said some of the players noticed similar symptoms about a year ago, but wrote them off as a "random happening."

Hockey player Dave Lundeen remembers it, too.

"One time a similar thing happened, and we couldn't finish the game," said Lundeen, who was taken to the hospital Saturday night feeling weak and light-headed. "We knew something was wrong, and we talked to the owner or manager, but they said they checked the gauges and everything was fine."

Stephens said just because he gets complaints doesn't mean there is a carbon-monoxide problem.

"Hockey is a strenuous sport," he said. "You get a lot of hockey players saying they feel sick. It may be the beer they had before they skated . . . maybe they ate the wrong thing, or maybe someone has the flu."

Stephens acknowledged the hand-held gauge he has been using to monitor carbon-monoxide levels was not working Saturday.

"I'm going to buy a new one tomorrow," he said. "I have no trust in it whatsoever."

A study at Harvard University and an investigation by the Detroit News found that about two-thirds of the rinks they tested had potentially dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. In January, the Quebec Health Department came to a similar conclusion and warned about exhaust from ice-resurfacing equipment.

About 1,000 people die nationwide each year from accidental exposure to the colorless, odorless gas, often caused by combustion appliances or charcoal grills used indoors without ventilation.

Dr. Neil Hampson, medical director of the hyperbaric department at Virginia Mason Medical Center, said that at low levels, the gas can cause dizziness, nausea, headaches and shortness of breath. Long-term effects, such as brain damage, can occur with severe poisoning.

The incident of the previous night did not stop dozens of peewee hockey players, recreational skaters and parents from enjoying the 34-year-old ice rink. yesterday afternoon.

"I would hope some measures have been taken," said Susan Pilawski, who was waiting for her son after a hockey game. "But we don't have a choice, so we'll be back."