... One congregant in Hyperbolic Chamber
... Pastor was busy casting out demons
Chicago, IL. October 23 (GHP) - Seven members of a predominantly Ghanaian immigrant Pentecostal Church are still in hospitals here this morning, for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

During the regular Sunday service, 20 ambulances reported to a 911 call, after a church member activated the emergency service, against the will of the pastor-in-charge, who preferred to cast out the "demons" possessing his congregation with prayers.

The service was a joint one by the English and central Amnesty. The former conducts services only in English language while the latter service is conducted in Akan. Both services occur concurrently in the lower and upper chambers of the church building. There were about 250 worshippers in attendance when the incident occured.

A faulty boiler at the Church, located at 7919 S. Ashland Ave., is believed to be the cause, according to Fire Media Affairs spokesman Richard Rosado. The church was secured as of 1:36pm and services were canceled for the rest of the day.

Initially, there were about 20 people who were either unconscious or lethargic, but a lot more congregants were afflicted with headaches, which is one of the early symptoms of the toxic gas.

One child has been transported to a hospital in Peoria, Illinois, for hyperbolic chamber treatment after hospital authorities at Christ Hospital detected that his condition was severe enough to warrant the expensive treatment.

Other church members who were exposed to the colorless, practically odorless, and tasteless gas were seen asking paramedics to take off their intravenous drips because they do not have medical insurance coverage and fear of huge hospital bills; obviously unaware of the federal law providing a safe net for charity care to the uninsured and low-income patients in cases of emergency medical treatments they receive. Ghana Home Page cannot confirm rumors that some refused treatment because of their immigration status.

CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by cars and trucks, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges and heating systems. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned by breathing it.

It is not immediately known when the church will be allowed by the City of Chicago Authorities to start using the building for services after this incident. Before the incident, the owners of the building, Pentecost International, had planned to put the over one million dollar property on the market.

Reaction in the Ghanaian community here is mixed. Whilst some were of the view that such a large property that hosts more than 200 people should have had carbon monoxide detectors others felt Christians must use their brains when it comes to life and death situations and must not always rely on prayers to solve their everyday problems.