As the cold snap continues many of us are turning the thermostat on our central heating up to the max in an effort to keep warm. But burning fuel – whether you use gas, oil, coal or wood – comes with its own health risk; that is the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
This week the charity CO-Gas Safety has published new figures that show 622 people have died from CO poisoning in this country during the past 16 years, including 16 children under the age of 10 and 196 people aged 70 or over. And that's not counting the 4,148 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning that thankfully did not result in anyone dying, 379 of which involved people being found unconscious.
Some of the other facts released by the charity include:
• London, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire have recorded the highest numbers of deaths from CO poisoning.
• Most deaths happen during November and February.
• 157 deaths were caused by a central heating boiler and 118 by a room heater.
• Nearly 70 percent of deaths happened at home.
Despite the rising death toll, the charity reckons there is still a serious lack of public awareness about the dangers of CO poisoning. “What we frequently hear from people who have been affected by CO poisoning is that they didn’t even know what CO was," says CO-Gas Safety president Stephanie Trotter.
"Being a deadly gas that cannot be sensed by smell, taste, touch or hearing, it is vital that people are aware of the dangers and know the steps to take to reduce their risk of being poisoned.”
CO is produced when gas, oil, coal, petrol and wood don’t burn properly. When you have a fire in an unventilated room, the oxygen gradually becomes replaced by CO, which prevents the fuel from burning fully. According to experts, most cases of CO poisoning are caused by lack of proper ventilation, blocked or leaky flues and chimneys, and heating appliances not working properly.
Early symptoms of CO poisoning include headaches, nausea, sore throat, dizziness, dry cough and tiredness – which may explain why carbon monoxide poisoning is often mistaken for flu.
So this winter, stay safe. Find out how to reduce the risk of CO poisoning by visiting the charity's website www.co-gassafety.co.uk and, as an extra safeguard, invest in a CO alarm (£15-£20 from any good DIY store).
