The faulty boiler which poisoned a Manchester family for three years.
Carbon Monoxide is known as a silent killer.
People across Greater Manchester are being urged to check their gas appliances after a family from Sale were poisoned over a three year period, by a faulty boiler.
Sue Westwood and her son Josh, 17, received low-level carbon monoxide poisoning between 2003-2006.
Generally feeling unwell and showing symptoms akin to the flu, Sue visited her GP many times with her and her sons CO poisoning condition going undiagnosed.
It was only when the warranty on Sue’s boiler was about to expire, and she called an engineer to service the boiler, was the cause of the CO revealed. The engineer had discovered that the boiler was pouring CO into the house due to the flue not being connected properly.
Both have suffered severe injuries due to the sustained level of CO they have been exposed to. Josh suffers from a brain injury, whereas Sue has had operations on her hands and has problems with her hearing and eyesight.
Sue said: "I was getting quite a few headaches and feeling dizzy – also my son was getting lots of stomach aches and headaches and the doctor would say that he’s just a typical 6-year-old trying to get out of going to school. I also had a girl working with me at the house who ended up in Hospital.
"The warranty had run out on the boiler so we decided to get British Gas out to do a maintenance check. The first thing they did was check carbon monoxide and the engineer said get out of the house it’s leaking - and that’s how we found it."
"I’ve had to teach myself to read again, I get migraines, I have disequilibrium - balance issues - my nerves are damaged, I’ve had operations on both hands and I’m still undergoing treatment at hospital a long time after I was poisoned."
The warning comes as figures revealed suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning cases in children have risen across the UK.
Campaign group 'Project SHOUT' tracked the numbers of those attending A&E with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and exposed an increase in the number of cases of under 18’s since 2015, 500 cases were reported in the last year alone.
Children are particularly susceptible to the deadly gas, also known as the silent killer, as you can’t see it, smell it or taste it.
They process carbon monoxide differently to adults and are more severely affected by it, as well as showing signs of the poisoning sooner.
Approximately 50 people needlessly die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning and thousands more are treated in hospital.
Carbon monoxide is produced when fuel doesn’t burn properly, usually from badly fitted or poorly maintained appliances.
Know how to spot it:
- Common sources of CO are gas and oil boilers, gas hobs and fires, log burners, open fires and BBQ’s.
- Symptoms of CO poisoning are often mistaken for something else, particularly colds and flu.
- Common symptoms include dizziness, headaches, nausea and generally feeling unwell.
- Alarms are the only way to detect CO poisoning as you can’t see it, smell it or taste it. With two thirds of homes unprotected by an alarm, an estimated 40 million people are at risk.
- 80% of residents in properties that DO have an alarm admit that they have no idea whether it works or not as they never test it.
Staying safe:
- Make sure your gas appliances are initially installed and serviced regularly by a qualified GAS SAFE registered engineer.
- Know the symptoms, they are often mistaken for something else.
- Get an alarm; it’s the only way to detect the deadly gas.