Calendar's Carbon Monoxide campaign

Carbon Monoxide poll

Calendar is leading a campaign for everyone in our region to have a carbon monoxide monitor in their home, and for the price of the life-saving detectors to be cut.

This follows the tragic deaths of Christie and Bobbie Shepherd from Horbury, near Wakefield while they were on holiday in Corfu.

Their parents have made a public appeal calling for better protection from the gas they call the silent killer. Almost a quarter of homes are said to have a faulty gas appliance - putting many at risk  from carbon monoxide - but you might not realise it until it's too late.

Alarms can cost £30 or more which is a price that safety campaigners say is too expensive. Calendar is supporting calls for the price to come down to make them more affordable for everyone in our region to be able to purchase one. There’s also a call for supermarkets and DIY stores to display them more prominently.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon Monoxide (chemical symbol: CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless and toxic gas created by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal and wood), as used in our everyday appliances such as heaters, engines and boilers.

Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?

Having no colour, smell or taste means that it is very hard to detect. Inhaling carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen, leaving the body's organs and cells starved of oxygen.

Each year, over 50 people die in the UK as a direct result of exposure to Carbon Monoxide Gas (CO). Many more people die through strokes and respiratory illness made worse by inhaling low levels of CO over prolonged periods. Still, more are left with permanent damage and invalidity.

Symptons

The symptoms of mild Carbon Monoxide poisoning are similar to those of viral cold infections: headache, nausea, dizziness, sore throat and dry cough.

More severe poisoning can result in a fast and irregular heart rate, over-breathing (hyperventilation), confusion, drowsiness and difficulty breathing. Ultimately it leads to coma and death.

How to protect yourself and your family