Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness
Providing CO safety advice including symptoms, signs and risks of CO. How to keep them and their household members safe.
Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas that can make you seriously ill if you inhale it. It’s known as the silent killer as you can’t see it, smell it, hear it or taste it.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
- headache
- dizziness
- feeling sick or being sick
- feeling weak
- confusion
- chest and muscle pain
- shortness of breath
The symptoms may come and go. They may get worse when you spend time in an affected room or building and get better when you leave or go outside.
Causes of carbon monoxide poisoning
Common household appliances used for heating and cooking can produce carbon monoxide if they are not installed properly, are faulty, or are poorly maintained.
Appliances that can cause carbon monoxide include:
- gas boilers
- gas cookers and clay ovens
- gas or paraffin heaters
- wood, gas and coal fires
- portable generators
Using barbeques or camping stoves inside, and turning on vehicle or lawn mower engines in your garage, can also cause a build-up of carbon monoxide.
What to do if you suspect you have a CO leak in your home
Immediately turn off all appliances if it is safe to do so.
- Open all doors and windows
- Move everyone into the fresh air
- Call the Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 or via textphone (minicom) on 0800 371 787. If you’re a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can use SignLive to contact the National Gas Emergency Service free of charge.
How to keep CO safe*
1. Check the flame
Is it burning lazy and orange? It should be crisp and blue. Other signs to check for – are there black marks on or around the appliance, does the pilot light frequently blow out or is there too much condensation?
3. Check ventilation
Is the flue from the appliance or your chimney blocked? Is there enough ventilation to allow your gas appliances to burn correctly – if they don’t have a sufficient air supply, they could produce carbon monoxide.
4. Check appliances
Have all your gas appliances checked every year. Always use a Gas Safe™ registered engineer to fit, fix and check your appliances
5. Get a CO alarm
Fit a CO alarm which will alert you and that complies with BS EN 50291. Remember, a smoke detector is not a carbon monoxide detector.
6. Check your rights and responsibilities
If you are a tenant, by law, your landlord must check your appliances every year. Ask for a copy of the annual gas safety record. Check if your landlord has fitted an audible CO alarm. If you are a landlord, it’s your responsibility to make sure your tenants are safe. You must make sure that gas pipework, flues and appliances are in good condition and checked every year by a Gas Safe™ registered engineer.
*Source SGN