Awareness of deadly gas needed

9:52am Tuesday 5th December 2006

DOCTORS and nurses should be trained to spot the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by faulty heaters, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has said.

The call comes at the start of national Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, which aims to highlight the dangers of the gas,which cannot be smelled, tasted, heard or seen and claims 30 lives a year in this country.

People can be overcome by fumes given off by faulty gas or coal-fired central heating and the symptoms can include drowsiness, headaches, nausea and chest pains.

Dawn Dcaccia, RoSPA's head of home injury prevention UK, said: "We want more publicity about its dangers so that people understand the importance of having heating appliances serviced annually, and that includes having chimneys swept.

"We also want to see the Department of Health offering training to GPs and other health workers so that they can spot the early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and make the correct diagnosis.''

The Northern Echo launched its Silent Killer campaign to highlight the dangers of poisoning.

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