Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas, which can be emitted from any faulty heating or cooking appliance, petrol generator, or vehicle engine. CO can be emitted from any appliance burning carbon based fuel e.g. Gas (mains or bottled), solid fuel (coal, wood, etc) petrol, oil or paraffin etc.

CO cannot be sensed using human senses. Special equipment, such as a flue gas analyser, is needed to test appliances and/or the air in a room for CO. CO can poison in tiny amounts because it is taken up in preference to oxygen by the haemoglobin (the oxygen carrying part) in the blood.

Less than 2% of CO in the air can kill in two minutes (HSE website used to have a reference to this document which specified this at Para 74 Table 23 but the document seems to have been removed. If you need a copy please email us on office@co-gassafety.co.uk asking for a copy of this document.).

For Symptoms of CO see 'About CO' on the left hand side of this home page.

Low level exposure of CO over a long period can cause brain and neurological damage.

People should also be aware that there are other toxins in fuels (mercury, manganese, nickel , benzene etc.). See under 'Other Toxins' (see on left hand side of this home page) and under 'Prevention' (also see on left of this home page) under 'Blood tests'.

Please note that urine tests are now available for these toxins which unlike CO, stay in the body for days, weeks, months and we suspect even years. NHS doesn't usually offer them but these can be undertaken privately at around £100 to £200.

References to documents on the Internet (for example from the Environmental Protection Agency of the USA) are on this website. Further more up to date information can be obtained from us direct. However, you are warned that no case seems yet to have been brought (or at least succeeded) with regard to fuel containing these other toxins. Also, proof of these other toxins in your body does not prove where or how you were exposed to them.

Please Donate or Volunteer to help us

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'CO-Gas Safety is an independent registered charity run almost entirely by volunteers.
Company Number 3084435 | Charity Number 104370

We have been lucky enough to have received grants from the Department of Health but due to the cut backs, now only have very bare costs for our schools poster competition to raise awareness of the dangers of CO.

We need funding to continue collecting data on deaths and injuries, which you can see in our press pack see http://www.co-gassafety.co.uk/press_pack_2011.html which includes 15 years of our data (from 1995 - 2010).

Our data is the best data on CO deaths and injuries in the UK and has been used by Government see http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1324663. We are shocked that our data is better than Government's (HSE basically only collects gas related CO deaths and doesn't check with Coroners) and other bodies (such as the well funded Gas Safe Charity and Gas Safety Trust). We try to check most deaths with Coroners and we have built up a good relationship with them over the 15 years we have been doing this. We also check with other bodies, such as the Solid Fuel Association, which has always been extremely helpful to us.

We also need funding to continue to answer the telephone and give advice to survivors and families of the bereaved.

Please feel free to send us a donation.

Our bank details are:-

Or if you prefer, you could send us a cheque made out to "CO-Gas Safety"
Lorien
2, Common Lane
Claygate
Surrey
KT10 0HY
England

Thank you very much indeed.
Stephanie Trotter, OBE, President & Director of CO-Gas Safety.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP US

We always welcome contact from anyone who can help us in any way. We particularly welcome registered gas installers but any help is very welcome. Tel. 01372 466135 or email us on

office@co-gassafety.co.uk

FREE Schools Poster Competition 2011/12 - Exciting prizes for you and your school!

Click here for details...

The aim of this poster competition is to raise awareness of the silent killer, carbon monoxide poisoning and how to prevent it and thereby save lives and preserves health.

CO-Gas Safety had been lobbying for years for funding for prime time TV warnings (like the anti-smoking and fire warnings) but as there seemed no chance of this, Stephanie Trotter thought up the cost effective schools poster competition to raise awareness of pupils, their families and schools. The poster competition is for pupils in their last year of state primary school (Year 6, i.e. aged 10-11).

The competition is now in its FIFTH SUCCESSFUL YEAR. Read more...

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING ON BELLING & NEW WORLD COOKERS
If not used correctly, affected cookers can produce dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide which can cause serious injury or death.
DO YOU HAVE AN AFFECTED COOKER? CLICK HERE TO VIEW AFFECTED COOKERS.

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING ON LEISURE & FLAVEL GAS COOKERS
Serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning which can be fatal.
CHECK HERE TO SEE IF YOU OWN ONE OF THE AFFECTED COOKERS.

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING ON CAMPING GAS LAMPS

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SAD DEATH OF PAUL GRIFFITHS AGED 43 WHO DIED FROM CO FROM ONE OF THESE LAMPS IN 2009.

You cannot see it, smell it or taste it but Carbon Monoxide (CO) can kill you. The elderly and young are at higher risk than healthy adults. They also spend more time at home.. >>Our film on how families' lives have been devastated by CO poisoning.	As an extra safeguard, you can buy Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms in any good home/DIY store. Please ensure it is to EN50291. This standard of alarm should not cost more than £20. >>How to prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
CO-Gas Safety publishes on this site an alphabetical list of recorded deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning since 1st September 1995. >>The list of deaths	We are an independent registered charity with cross party support at the House of Commons and European parliament. we were founded by Molly Maher and Nigel Griffiths, MP.  >>More about the charity