Are You Carbon Monoxide Aware?


Do you have a Carbon Monoxide alarm? If not, you are not alone. According to the new Carbon Monoxide- Be Alarmed!  Campaign that has recently been launched, at least 35 million people across Great Britain are at risk from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. 

It wasn't until recently that I myself had a Carbon monoxide alarm fitted in my family home. Carbon monoxide alarms are just as important as fire alarms but it's clear to me that there just isn't enough awareness. Because we know so much about fires and hear so many frightening stories in the press, families make sure they have fire alarms fitted in their home. It was the first thing we did when we moved in. So why didn't I fit a carbon monoxide alarm at the same time? In all honesty I questioned my landlord about posting us one along with a new fire alarm, but I was met with a raised eyebrow and told "Ah, it's not important. You won't need one of those." I don't want to be the one regretting not getting an alarm, and now I have one I feel so much safer in my home.

Carbon Monoxide- Be Alarmed!  have put together some great infomercials. I'm so pleased to be a part of this campaign. Please view these infomercials and please, please share them. You may just save a life.

Below are some tips on how to stay safe:

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

1. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in your home that sounds when the gas is present. This only takes a few minutes but could save your life. Your alarm should be placed in a central location in your home, fixed to a wall at head height, placed on a table or shelf. More information can be found here.

2. Have fuel burning appliances serviced annually by a qualified and registered engineer. If you rent, remember this is your landlord/lady's responsibility.

3.Don't block ventilation and have chimneys swept at least once a year.

4.Know the main symptoms: headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapsing and loss of consciousness. Key signs are if symptoms clear up when you are away from home and come back when you return, or if other people in your home experience similar symptoms.

5. Watch out for soot or a yellow/brown staining on or around your appliance, a lazy yellow/orange coloured gas flame instead of a sharp blue one or pilot lights which blow out frequently.


Carbon Monoxide is tasteless. You cannot see it or smell it. The only way to know that it may be present is by using an audible alarm. 81% of people know that carbon monoxide can kill yet studies show that only 4 in 10 homes have an alarm. This figure could actually be as low as 1 in 10*

In a study, published by Liverpool John Moores University in May 2012, fire fighters conducted checks at 22,182 properties across Merseyside. 90.2% of the properties did not have carbon monoxide alarms.

This is really shocking and to think my family was one of the above statistics is frightening. Below is another infomercial on how to spot the signs of Carbon monoxide in your home from the physical symptoms you can experience to the realisation that you feel fine when you're away from your home, but upon returning these symptoms reappear:


Please visit the Carbon Monoxide- Be Alarmed!  website for more information on Carbon Monoxide, staying safe, real stories and also to find out how and where to buy a Carbon Monoxide alarm for your home. Last year, Carbon Monoxide killed more than 50 people and around 4,000 people were hospitalised. Don't be the next statistic. Fit an alarm in your home.

About this campaign
Carbon Monoxide- Be Alarmed! is the national campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by carbon monoxide. The campaign is run by Energy UK on behalf of Britain's six major gas and electricity companies in partnership with the Dominic Rogers Trust, and is supported by more than 40 other organisations.

For more information please visit the Carbon Monoxide- Be Alarmed! website. You can e-mail the team monoxide@co-bealarmed.co.uk, follow them on Facebook and even Tweet them for advice. 

CupcakeMumma

2 comments:

  1. I really need to invest in one of these...its better to be safe...Thanks I'm going to check website out x

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