The Prepared Home

Don't let carbon monoxide kill you

part 1 - What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and how can it be treated

part 2 - How to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
part 3 - Choosing and using a detector

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless, tasteless gas that can kill people or just leave them very ill, sometimes for a long time. It is created when something containing carbon is burnt and there is not enough oxygen to create the rather less dangerous carbon dioxide. Just about any fuel contains carbon including gas from the mains or cylinders and any fuel derived from oil including petrol, diesel, engine oil. Even wood and charcoal contain carbon. We have all heard that gas appliances can cause problems but often forget that other fossil fuels can do as well.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning 
Treating carbon monoxide
Useful telephone numbers
Further information

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include

• headaches
• dizziness
• shortness of breath
• confusion
• nausea
• vomiting
• feeling faint
• visual disturbances
• fatigue and lethargy
• chest pains
• changes in personality
• coma

Some of these symptoms are similar to other illnesses like flu or food poisoning. It is not unknown for people to ignore these symptoms for some time and then when they have tried to leave an enclosed area they have died before they have been able to do so and some have just fallen asleep and not woken up. Other people have suffered low level symptoms for a long time only to find the mystery illness that has plagued them for months to be carbon monoxide poisoning. In such situations they feel may feel rather better when they go away on holiday and it gets worse again when they return. Or problems may arise when a particular appliance is used such as a cooker, water heater and stop when is not used. It is even possible for people to be tested for possible carbon monoxide poisoning and for it not be detected as the concentration of carbon monoxide in their blood goes down so quickly after they leave the premises where they have been affected that it is not detected.

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Treating carbon monoxide

The first aid treatment is simple, get the patient out into the fresh air as soon as possible. This needs to be done with care as anyone who enters the premises is at risk of the same problems unless they are wearing breathing apparatus. Carbon monoxide gets into the blood and stops it carrying oxygen so that in effect it asphyxiates people. The level of the problem can only be assessed using a blood test but this can be done by your GP.

In serious cases, oxygen administered in an ambulance or hospital will help the blood to work properly more quickly and the sooner that treatment is administered the less likely it is that there will be any lingering problems. It is not unknown for people to be still experiencing problems 15 years later. If someone has stopped breathing, it will be necessary to administer artificial respiration.

The next step is to let fresh air into the enclosed space by leaving doors and windows open and to stop the production of carbon monoxide by switching everything off or damping it down. However, it is better to go and stay elsewhere for a while if at all possible, preferably not in hospital recovering from the after effects. It is also essential to trace where the carbon monoxide is coming from and deal with the problem. Double check though before moving back in as sometimes there is more than one problem that needs to be fixed and if all the problems are not fixed then you could still end up ill again or even dead.

Some people are more at risk from health problems caused by carbon monoxide. This is one situation where the mother, is not able to protect an unborn child. When blood tests are done the toxic effects rise higher in the child than the mother although they peak later. Treat the mother and the child is treated as well. Those people who already have heart, lungs or circulation problems or anaemia are likely to be more affected.

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Useful telephone numbers

Don't forget that Environmental Health Department of your local council will also be able to offer guidance.

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Further information

Health and Safety Executive This link will take you to the page where the information on tenants and landlords came from. When I printed this page out it came to about 20 pages but right at the very end there is a sample letter that could be sent to a landlord to ask him to see the safety check record.

DTI Safety Booklets This link will take you to a page where you can download pdf versions of booklets on various aspects of home safety that have been published by the Department of Trade and Industry. These include three booklets that concentrate on the dangers of carbon monoxide, namely Danger! Fires Need Air, Killed in Her Bed and Carbon Monoxide Kills.

Carbon Monoxide: the forgotten killer This is a letter sent out from the department of health to general practitioners (and others) in September 1998. It includes a summary of how to diagnose and treat carbon monoxide poisoning.

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part 2 - How to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
part 3 - Choosing and using a detector

download all these articles as one pdf file

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