CFOA

More than 50 people die from Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas poisoning every year (CFOA). It is a silent killer because it has no smell or taste. Be aware of the following symptoms:

• Mild Exposure: Slight headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue (often described as ‘flu-like’ symptoms).
• Medium Exposure: Severe throbbing headache, drowsiness, confusion, fast heart rate.
• Extreme Exposure: Unconsciousness, convulsions, cardio respiratory failure, death.

Most cases of Carbon Monoxide poisoning are due to inadequate ventilation or poor maintenance of appliances, blocked or leaky flues and chimneys.

A Carbon Monoxide alarm is not a substitute for maintaining and regularly servicing household appliances. Common items in your home that could potentially produce poisonous Carbon Monoxide gas are oil and gas boilers, portable generators, oil or solid fuel cookers, gas or paraffin heaters, wood or gas fireplaces, gas appliances, any fossil fuel burning appliance, clogged chimneys.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds:

• Keep calm, open doors and windows to ventilate the property.
• Stop using all fuel burning appliances and if possible turn them off.
• Evacuate the property leaving the doors and windows open.
• Ring your gas or other fuel supplier on their emergency number. Keep the number in a prominent place.
• Get medical help for anyone suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Don’t re-enter the property until the alarm has stopped.
• Don’t use the appliance until it has been checked by an expert. If it is a gas appliance make sure the engineer is Gas Safe registered.