

You may also notice that the symptoms are less severe if you are away from your property. Fuels that can produce CO when burned include gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil and methane. Sometimes it may feel as though you have food poisoning or that you are coming down with flu. What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?ĬO poisoning can be difficult to detect, because its symptoms are the same as those of many other common ailments. You may experience: if you're going on holiday you may wish to take a battery-operated audible CO alarm with you.Many of those deaths happen during the winter. have all appliances, flues and chimneys correctly installed and serviced by trained, reputable, registered and competent engineers – do not attempt to do this yourself In a typical year, nearly 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning, usually in their own home or car.However carbon monoxide poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because. It can be successfully treated with oxygen. you can also buy CO detection patches and ‘black-spot’ indicators, but these will not wake you and warn you if dangerous levels of CO develop Carbon monoxide is one of the most common causes of poisoning death in the world.make sure that you follow the alarm manufacturer’s instructions for installation and maintenance.However, children, older people, pregnant women and people with heart or breathing problems are more vulnerable to. fit an audible CO alarm that meets European Standard EN 50291, showing a British Standards Kitemark or LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) logo CO poisoning can be fatal and affect anyone.There are many ways to protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning, such as: How do I protect myself from carbon monoxide poisoning? Low levels that don’t kill you can still cause serious harm. So, you can inhale carbon monoxide right along with gases that you can smell and not even know that CO is present. Although it has no detectable odor, CO is often mixed with other gases that do have an odor. It can kill without warning, sometimes in a matter of minutes. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. This can happen when appliances such as room and water heaters, fires and cookers have been wrongly installed or poorly maintained, or when a chimney, flue or air vent into the room such as an air brick has been fully or partially blocked.Ĭhimneys and open fires (fire safety) Can carbon monoxide kill?Īccidental exposure to CO kills more than 50 people each year in England and Wales. Breathing low levels of CO can cause: Headache Nausea Dizziness Weakness Confusion Disorientation Many of these symptoms are similar to the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses. Carbon monoxide is released when a carbon-containing fuel doesn’t burn fully because not enough air is available. When CO attaches to the hemoglobin, it blocks the oxygen the body must have, creating health problems.
