Rosie Winterton

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CARBON MONOXIDE AWARENESS WEEK – MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DON’T BECOME VICTIMS OF CO POISONING

Local MP Rt Hon Rosie Winterton is lending her support to the UK’s second Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, which is being launched by CO-Awareness at the House of Lords on Monday 15th October 2007.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning is usually the result of poorly maintained boilers or other domestic appliances, and is thought to kill 50 people in Britain every year.  The number of fatalities is rising. Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week is intended to draw the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning to the public’s attention.

Rosie Winterton MP says
“I urge all my constituents to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, by making sure that their domestic appliances are maintained, regularly serviced, and Carbon Monoxide alarms are fitted in their homes. Please make sure that you and your family do not become victims of Carbon Monoxide poisoning this winter.”

CO-Awareness is a not-for-profit organisation that is working to raise awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide.  They will be calling on the Government, regulators and industry to tighten procedures for inspection and maintenance of equipment, as well as calling for higher standards of training for installers.

President of the CO-Awareness and founder of the CO-Awareness Week, Lynn Griffiths, whose own children were all poisoned by CO, says

“Carbon Monoxide is the most common poison in the UK today. There is no large scale public information campaign about it and it is not routinely tested for at post mortems. As well as raising public awareness, we need to make sure all doctors, especially those in emergency departments and GPs, are aware of the symptoms that Carbon Monoxide can cause.

“It should not take a tragedy to alert the British public to its dangers.  Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week therefore seeks to address all these issues.  We must no longer stay silent about this silent killer”

Attendees at the House of Lords will include victims who have been poisoned by CO and those who have lost friends and loved ones to this silent yet preventable killer.

For More information on CO, visit www.co-awareness.co.uk.