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By Jenna deJong
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A 5-year-old boy from Royal Oak, Michigan, was killed Friday morning when a hyperbaric chamber exploded inside a Troy medical center, officials said.
What To Know
The explosion, which occurred at The Oxford Center shortly before 8 a.m., also injured the child's mother, who was standing near the chamber when it ignited.
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Emergency responders arrived at the facility at 165 Kirts Boulevard and found the boy dead inside the chamber. His mother suffered injuries to her arms but was not in the chamber itself, authorities confirmed. No other individuals were injured, and the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Authorities have not determined the specific cause of the explosion. Troy Fire Lieutenant Keith Young noted that concentrated oxygen and pressure inside hyperbaric chambers create an environment that can fuel combustion.
What Is A Hyperbaric Chamber?
The state of Michigan oversees the regulation of hyperbaric medical chambers used in various medical settings. A hyperbaric chamber is a sealed, pressurized environment designed to administer pure oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure.
Patients typically enter either a monoplace chamber designed for a single person or a multiplace chamber that accommodates multiple individuals. These chambers are commonly used for medical treatments, including aiding wound healing, combating carbon monoxide poisoning, and treating decompression sickness in divers, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The increased pressure allows oxygen to dissolve more effectively in the bloodstream, promoting faster recovery and cellular repair. While generally considered safe under proper medical supervision, hyperbaric chambers pose risks, including fire hazards due to the high oxygen concentration.
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What People Are Saying
Troy Police Lieutenant Ben Hancock described the explosion as a "very sad incident" and told the Detroit Free Press that investigators are working to determine what went wrong.
A spokesperson for The Oxford Center, Andrew Kistner: "The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place."
The medical facility has suspended operations until further notice as investigations continue.
What Happens Next
The investigation into the cause of the explosion will involve multiple agencies, including fire and police officials. "There's going to be multiple jurisdictions and departments throughout the state that are going to be a part of this investigation," Young told CBS News Detroit.
Authorities urge anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Troy Police or the Michigan State Fire Marshal's Office as the investigation progresses.
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