Carbon monoxide is one of the biggest risks to a person’s health within the home. It is estimated that nearly one person a week tragically loses their life to carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK, and many more suffer from serious illness as a result of it. One of the reasons that CO is such a dangerous hazard is because it doesn’t smell of anything and it is colourless, which means that it is hard to detect.
What causes carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide can build up in the home as the result of poor ventilation, faulty appliances, or both. Some people think that only gas appliances produce carbon monoxide. However, while faulty gas boilers are the most common culprits, CO can be created when gas, oil or solid fuels (e.g. wood or coal) are burnt incompletely. The most common sources of CO are:
- Woodburning stoves or open fires
- Tobacco smoke
- Faulty appliances
- Idling vehicles
- Faulty water heater or boiler
- Blocked chimney.
Why is CO so dangerous?
Carbon Monoxide is so dangerous because when we breathe it in, the gas reduces the amount of oxygen that is present in the blood. This means that not enough oxygen is carried to vital parts of the body. If CO is present in large quantities, it can have a huge impact very quickly. The oxygen deprivation can cause nausea, brain damage, loss of consciousness or, in the most extreme cases, suffocation.
What are the signs of CO poisoning?
If you notice that the flame on your appliance (e.g. fire, boiler, gas hob) is burning with a yellow or orange flame rather than a blue or purple one, then you should switch the appliance off, leave the house and call a gas safe engineer immediately. Similarly, if your pilot light keeps going out, or you notice more condensation than normal, or dark marks around appliances, you could have a CO problem. Get it checked out straight away.
The physical signs of CO poisoning are nausea, tiredness, a cough, sore throat or headaches. These can be hard to identify, particularly in the winter months, as the symptoms are not dissimilar to cold and ‘flu symptoms. If you are worried about anyone’s health or safety, call 999 immediately.
Preventing CO poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a killer. To reduce exposure of those in your home to the risks, it is important that you get your gas boiler serviced annually by a gas safe engineer, and your chimney swept at least once a year too. If you live in a rented home, your landlord should arrange for those checks for you. Regardless of how often you get your appliances checked, you should install at least one CO monitor in your home. You need a CO alarm as well as a smoke alarm, and make sure that you replace the batteries regularly.
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