Carbon monoxide is responsible for more than 50 deaths a year in the UK alone and leaves more than 200 people seriously ill. It has no smell or taste making it difficult to detect and it’s for this reason that no home should be without a good, reliable carbon monoxide alarm. This month, to help you keep your friends, families and colleagues safe, Discount Fire Supplies have reduced the price of the Zeta Domestic LED Carbon Monoxide Alarm by nearly 40%.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO), sometimes referred to as the ‘silent killer’, is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. It is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood do not burn fully and the most common causes of carbon monoxide are malfunctioning, poorly installed or poorly maintained household appliances such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers.
What is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
When you breathe in carbon monoxide the gas enters your blood stream and mixes with the haemoglobin, preventing your red blood cells from carrying oxygen around the body. This lack of oxygen causes your body tissues and cells to die.
What are the Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to those of the Flu, food poisoning, viral infections and tiredness. This makes it easy to mistake this very dangerous poisoning as something less serious. The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are:
- Headaches
- Dizziness and nausea
- Vomiting
- Tiredness and confusion
- Stomach pain
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
However, there are other tell tale signs which can help you eliminate more common illnesses, these include other people (or pets) in your house, flat or workplace falling ill with similar symptoms or the symptoms being seasonal, i.e. symptoms appearing more during the winter when central heating is used more frequently.
CO detection
All the above reasons offer a valid argument as to why every household or workplace should have reliable, working carbon monoxide alarm to offer an early warning of the presence of carbon monoxide.
