Beware the silent killer

8:29am Monday 21st May 2007

FREE lifesaving monitors are being given away to cut the risk of the silent killer' carbon monoxide, which has no smell, taste or colour.

Halton's Mayor, Cllr John Swain and his wife, Margaret, fitted a detector in their Runcorn home this week - after their relatives were overcome by fumes in a caravan in Arbroath.

"My cousin, Steven, was the youngest ever person to survive a decompression chamber, where he was put to recover from the effects of poisoning," explained Mayoress, Mrs Swain.

"This issue is very close to my heart and I would urge everyone to make sure their appliances are safe."

Free monitors are available to the first 50 people, aged over 50, who contact Age Concern for a free home safety check.

Mark Clayton, of Halton Council's environmental health division, said: "The danger does not just come from central heating boilers, gas fires and cookers but also from solid fuel systems, such as coal fires, so it's important to keep your chimney swept regularly."

Early symptoms of CO poisoning such as headaches, nausea and fatigue are often mistaken for the flu, if the deadly gas goes undetected in a home.

Prolonged exposure can lead to brain damage and even death.

Runcorn mum Lynn Griffiths launched CO Awareness, a support group, after her husband died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and her four children were poisoned.

Dangerous amounts of CO can accumulate through inefficient installation, poor maintenance or failure or damage to an appliance, when the fuel is not burned properly or rooms are not adequately ventilated.

Call Age Concern on 0151 257 7128 for a CO detector.