Launch of Carbon Monoxide awareness week
Borders College, in association with Scottish Borders Home Safety Working Group, Scottish Borders Safer Communities Team and Carbon Monoxide Awareness Ltd, the charity supporting victims of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning have hosted the Scottish launch of Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.
The aim of the event is to reduce incidents, fatalities and ill health due to CO poisoning by raising awareness amongst consumers.
Attendees included:
- Tony Brunton, Carbon Monoxide Awareness Trust
- Paul Richardson, Chairman of Home Safety Scotland / Community Safety Officer, Scottish Borders Council
- Mike Jaffrey, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service
- Tom Ramage and John Rafferty, Borders College, Gas Safety Trainers
- Alan Wilson, Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation
- Gordon McKinlay, National Association of Chimney Sweeps.
There are thought to be more than 50 accidental deaths per year in the UK from CO poisoning, and more than 4000 cases or recorded non-fatal injury – which can often lead to lasting neurological damage.
CO is a colourless, odourless and toxic gas caused created by the incomplete combustion of solid liquid or gaseous fuels from engine exhausts, all fuel burning appliances, fires and boilers. Additionally, CO can spill into the home, via cracked, disconnected, blocked or corroded flue pipes or from improperly installed or neglected appliances. Symptoms can include drowsiness, headaches, nausea, breathlessness, memory loss, confusion and loss of muscular and circulatory function.
Alec Nicol, Chair of the Safer Communities Partnership said: “It is important that we support CO awareness week, and improve public information on the dangers of this unseen hazard. We want to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by CO.”
Paul Richardson, Community Safety Officer with Scottish Borders Council added: “We hope this campaign will encourage all householders, tenants and landlords to ensure that all fossil fuel burning devices in the home are regularly serviced. The difficulty with CO is that human senses cannot detect its presence in the home, so we encourage people to fit CO detectors as an early warning of potential danger to health."
Paul continued: “The Home Safety Working Group has had 500 CO detector alarms donated which we will be providing to certain vulnerable groups in the Borders. These should not be seen as a substitute for regular servicing of gas, oil, coal or wood burning heating sources.”
