Carbon Monoxide

What is Carbon Monoxide (CO) and where does it come from?
Carbon Monoxide is a highly poisonous gas produced when any fossil fuel is burnt Incompletely.
It is highly poisonous to people and animals, and is very difficult to detect because it has:-

NO smell
NO taste
NO colour

It leaks from flues, cooking and heating appliances when they have been poorly maintained or
simply break down. A birds nest in a chimney or even bad weather conditions have been
known to cause spillage of CO. The CO could even come from a neighbours appliance!!!

What can it do to me?
Carbon Monoxide bonds with the haemoglobin in your blood and subsequently replaces the
oxygen needed to sustain your brain and body. It can build up over a period of time, causing
minor symptoms or a larger leak can kill very quickly.
Carbon Monoxide is absorbed by the blood 240 times more readily than Oxygen!

How do I know if I am suffering from CO poisoning?
It is very difficult to diagnose CO poisoning because of its similarity to other illnesses such as flu.
Asking yourself the following questions may help:-

Are others in the house feeling ill as well?
When you leave the house for a period of time, do you feel any better?

If the answer is yes then you may be suffering from CO poisoning. The only way to be sure is to
consult your doctor and request a carboxyhaemoglobin test. This will establish the amount of CO
present in your blood.

What are the symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning?
Some symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning are:-

feeling drowsy, or constantly tired.
having a slight headache.
chest pains of muscular weakness.
palpitations.
sickness, diarrhoea or stomach pains.
sudden dizziness when standing up.
general lethargy.

If you have any of these symptoms when using a gas appliance, turn it off immediately,
and see your doctor at once! Do these symptoms look familiar? Yes they look like a bad cold or flu
symptoms don't they? And that's why people die needlessly of CO poisoning each year!!!

What can I do to protect myself?
Here are a few suggestions to narrow down the risk:-

do not fit your own appliances, for gas appliances call in a Gas Safe Registered installer.
for none gas appliances consult a member of the HVCA.
never try to repair or alter your own appliance or flue system.
do not allow a building to be altered or extended that will enclose or restrict a flue.
do not cover or obscure any air vents that supply air from outside into the room.
act immediately if you spot any of the danger signs or feel any of the symptoms.
have your appliances serviced regularly by an approved person (annually for most appliances).

The above will reduce the chance of a CO leak but not eliminate it as appliances can become faulty
and flues blocked in between service dates. For added safety and peace of mind, you should fit a
BS approved and Kite-marked CO alarm.

Approved CO alarm from YPS! click here for promotion information.

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