Carbon Monoxide...

Every year around 30 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues that have not been properly installed or maintained. Many others also suffer ill health. When gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, excess carbon monoxide is produced, which is poisonous.

You can’t see it. You can’t taste it. You can’t even smell it. But carbon monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours.

You are particularly at risk when you are sleeping because you cannot recognise the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. These include tiredness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, pains in the chest and stomach pains. These symptoms can mimic many common ailments and may easily be confused with flu or simple tiredness.

If you or your family experience the above symptoms, and you believe carbon monoxide may be involved, you must seek urgent medical advice. Your doctor will need to test a blood or breath sample. Carbon monoxide quickly leaves the blood and tests may be inaccurate if taken more than four hours after exposure has ended.

You are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if:

* Your appliance was poorly installed
* Your appliance is not working properly
* Your appliance has not been checked for safety or maintained regularly
* There is not enough fresh air in the room
* Your chimney or flue gets blocked up
* You allow non Gas Safe registered engineers to install or maintain your appliance(s)

There is a particular risk if you sleep in a room where an appliance, which is not of the room-sealed type (e.g. A conventional gas fire), is left burning at night. (Flue outlets for room-sealed appliances are commonly located on an external wall at a low level protected by a cage rather than at or above roof level.)

Be Carbon Monoxide Safe Call G Sharpe Heating Solutions! Tel. 01228 576159 | Mob. 07789 481634