Carbon monoxide alarmCFOA is to team up with CO Awareness, a charity set up seven years ago to provide support to those poisoned by carbon monoxide, to raise awareness about the dangers for the upcoming 9th Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week (November 17-23).

Carbon monoxide (CO) is hard to detect because it has no smell, taste or colour. This also means that it is easy to inhale without realising. Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood do not burn fully. When a fire burns in an enclosed room, the oxygen in the room is gradually used up and replaced with carbon dioxide.

Following a build-up of carbon dioxide in the air, the fuel is prevented from burning fully and it starts to release carbon monoxide. As part of the week of activities, the charity hosted events which asked people to consider questions such as:
• How many people/families living/working here today are unaware they too could be suffering the effects of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning without even knowing it?
• How many children are living in a family who cannot afford to pay to have ANY of their appliances serviced or chimney swept?
• How many parents will take their children camping next year, unaware that taking a barbecue (even when cool to the touch) inside a tent could lead to death or injury from carbon monoxide?
• How many teachers will put a child/young person’s symptoms of carbon monoxide down to a behaviour problem or the child staying up late playing on computer games?
• How many people will visit their GP’s surgery or hospital with carbon monoxide symptoms only to be told it is the flu, a virus, food poisoning or a hangover?

CO Awareness founder and President Lynn Griffiths said: “Carbon monoxide incidents over the last 21 months have been rising faster than our charity has ever seen before. Carbon monoxide incidents I believe will go up even faster due to more and more people families being forced to live in poverty.

“Food banks are popping up everywhere and the last thing on anyone’s mind will be to make sure all their fuel burning appliances are serviced and their chimney if they have ones is swept. I am keen to prevent this from happening to anyone else living/working in the UK but I and the charity need much more support to do this.”

For more information and to pledge your support visit: http://covictim.org/