It is such a shame that some ones Easter holiday has ended in tragedy, a family who were on a private boat on Lake Windermere apparently succumbed to, it is believed, Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
Whilst at this stage not a lot is known about the details of what happened on the boat unfortunately there are two people who have died and it is assumed to be a mother and her daughter. The mother being just 36 and her little girl only 10 such a sad loss.
If it is confirmed that their deaths are as a result of CO poisoning then it is a terrible tragedy that could possibly have been avoided if only more information was readily available for people to be aware of. It should be compulsory to have Carbon Monoxide alarms fitted into all home and even into boats and caravans where in enclosed spaces Carbon Monoxide can be so very dangerous.
CO is tasteless and odourless as well as being invisible and so it is very difficult to detect and can cause flu like symptoms and headaches and dizziness as well confusion and extreme tiredness, so if you or any of your family or those living in the premises concerned are showing any of these sorts of problems it is important to contact your doctor and get the situation checked out.
It is sensible to fit a CO alarm in your home these can detect even the slightest amount of CO in your home. This will make a loud warning noise before the levels of CO become dangerous, but remember to make sure the one you buy is up to the standard required and has a BS EN 50291:2001 number on it or that it complies with British Standards.
Some of the things to look for to tell if CO is present in your home and possibly affecting you are, stains ,soot marks or discolouration on or around your gas boiler. You may well at some stage see larger then normal of condensation or perhaps see or smell some smoke from one of your appliances such as your gas fire or even your cooker. If you notice your pilot light going out more than it should do or if it is burning in a yellow or orange colour then all of these are warning signs that CO (carbon monoxide) is present and you should call a gas engineer in to correct the situation before it is to late.
If you decide to fit an alarm then please make sure you fit it in the right place according to the manufacturers instructions otherwise it may well be ineffective, CO is lighter than air and so rises in a room and then draws all of the oxygen from the room so an alarm fitted at the wrong height may not actually detect the CO until it is too late.
Please make sure that you are not sitting in your swivel massage recliner chair and slowly succumbing the dangers of crbon monoxide poisoning in your home! Remember CO is the silent killer , you cannot smell it , touch it see it or hear it but it can still kill!
My sympathies go out to the family that have been subjected to this tragedy over Easter, I know I do not want that sort of thing happening to any of my family as I am sure you don’t to yours either. My daughter and my lovely grandson are important to me and so I have now put in a new CO detector for them.
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