SOMERSWORTH — An elderly couple was taken to the hospital after being overcome by carbon monoxide from a defective oil burner Friday morning.

Firefighters responded to 179 Green St. at 10:08 a.m. and found high levels of the odorless, colorless and dangerous gas in the home, according to fire Capt. Marc Vaillancourt.

Vaillancourt said firefighters measured levels at more than 200 parts per million inside the home, which far exceeds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's permissible exposure limit of 50 parts per million during an eight-hour period.

“It was pretty high,” Vaillancourt said, adding no firefighters were affected by the gas as they wore protective equipment inside the home.

Vaillancourt said firefighters advised the man and the women to have their furnace serviced as they were transported to the hospital by American Medical Response personnel. He would not release their ages or identities.