Rescued Couple Warn of Carbon Monoxide Threat

16 October 2008

A married couple from Wirral, Merseyside, who were rescued by paramedics after being overcome by Carbon Monoxide gas in their home, are urging householders everywhere to install Carbon Monoxide alarms and have gas and other fossil-fuel-burning appliances tested before winter sets in.

Carbon monoxide (CO) has no smell or taste and is invisible. It is responsible for 50 accidental deaths and nearly 200 serious incidents every year in England and Wales and it is believed that many more cases go undiagnosed.

Mr. Stan Bishton and his wife Irene were saved because Irene, who had been feeling unwell for several days as a result of what turned out to be CO poisoning, had arranged for her sister to take her to the doctor on the morning of Thursday 2 October.

Now the couple are backing a campaign by the Health Protection Agency North West, the North West Ambulance Service and the charity CO-Awareness to encourage people to fit CO alarms in their homes and to have fossil fuel-burning appliances regularly serviced. (Fossil fuels include gas, oil and coal)

Describing the events of Thursday, 2 October, Mr. Bishton said: "My wife felt odd when she got up in the morning. She was unsteady on her feet. She started to stagger and then she collapsed. Fortunately for us she had unlocked the front door in readiness for her sister's arrival before collapsing," Stan said.

"I was still in bed and thought I was okay, but when I tried to dial 999 I couldn't do it. I had been overcome without realising it."

When Mr. Bishton's sister-in-law Sheila Ross arrived at the house, she found Irene collapsed on the floor. Mrs. Ross called an ambulance and also phoned for her husband Brian to come and help. Mr. and Mrs. Bishton's daughter also arrived at the house.

"They initially thought that Irene had suffered a stroke and sent her to Arrowe Park Hospital by ambulance. But when some of the paramedics began to feel ill and my sister-in-law flaked out, they realised that there was a strong possibility of carbon monoxide in the house," Stan said.

A second ambulance was called for Mr. Bishton and his sister-in-law. In all, four members of the family, Mr. and Mrs. Bishton, Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Ross's husband Brian, and six ambulance crew members were treated in hospital.

Mr. and Mrs. Bishton and Sheila Ross were detained overnight for observation and treatment.

"I don't remember the ambulance men lifting me out of bed, but I remember them putting me in the ambulance, so I must have started to recover as soon as I was removed from the property. I was conscious but couldn't talk sensibly," Mr. Bishton said.

"The ambulance team's response was fantastic and the treatment and organisation at Arrowe Park Hospital was also first rate. We can't thank them enough."

Brandon Newman was one of the first ambulance paramedics to respond to the 999 call. Brandon commented: "We assessed the condition of Mr. and Mrs. Bishton, but quickly realised that something was not quite right when we began to feel ill ourselves.

"I had a gut feeling that it could be carbon monoxide poisoning, so we opened all the windows and doors to ventilate the house and called for a second ambulance.

"This was potentially a very serious situation that could have caused the loss of the whole family. Fortunately we recognised our own signs of illness and were able to act quickly and provide the family with the help they needed."

Paul Ferguson, Area Director for Cheshire and Merseyside, North West Ambulance Service, commented: "I am proud of the way our operational staff dealt with this incident. Their actions may well have saved the lives of those involved.

"The incident serves as an important reminder of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning and I would reinforce the advice given by the Health Protection Agency. We will certainly be issuing reminders to our staff across the North West."

The build up of carbon monoxide was caused by a blocked flu from the gas central heating boiler.

"I hadn't had the boiler serviced for two years and it didn't occur to me that there might have been a problem with it. You don't think about these things until something happens," Mr. Bishton said.

"Now we're having the entire system replaced and we've bought audible CO alarms. In fact everyone we've told about this has gone out and bought an alarm. It has been a very frightening experience and, but for my sister-in-law calling on us when she did, there might have been a tragedy.

"There will be many other people like us who haven't got round to servicing gas appliances and boilers, for a variety of reasons. In our case, it was carelessness. Others will be feeling the pinch in these days of economic hardship.

"My message to them is that it is crucially important to service domestic appliances regularly - and at least once a year. Anything else is a gamble with your health - and possibly with your life."

Dr. Richard Jarvis from the Health Protection Agency's Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Unit, said: "Carbon monoxide is an invisible potential killer that can lurk in any home if domestic boilers and heating appliances are not properly installed by qualified and registered engineers and serviced at least once a year.

"Every household should be aware of the risks, particularly at this time of the year when gas fires and central heating boilers are often in continuous use, and health professionals need to be aware of the signs and symptoms to look out for so that accidental poisonings don't go undetected."

Dr. Jarvis also urged householders to give serious thought to the installation of carbon monoxide monitors. "If they take proper advice and shop around, these need not be too expensive and they could save lives," he said.

However there are sometimes other indicators that may suggest a fault with domestic boilers or flues. The signs of trouble are:

Black sooty marks on the radiants of gas fires
Sooty marks on the wall around stoves, boilers or fires
Smoke accumulating in rooms due to faulty flues
Yellow instead of blue flames from gas appliances

Anyone who suspects a carbon monoxide build-up in a property should contact the National Grid Gas Emergency Line on 0800-111-999.

Notes to editors

Contacts: Hugh Lamont, Communications Manager, HPA North West. Tel. 0151-482-5728 or 07764-906508 or:
Julie Treharne, Area Communications and PPI lead, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Tel. 0151-261-2601. Email: Julie.treharne@nwas.nhs.uk

Further information on carbon monoxide may be accessed via the following weblink and the notes to editors at the bottom of this press release.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1190384159845?p=1190384159845

Carbon Monoxide starves the blood of oxygen, causing the body to suffocate from within. The gas accumulates in the blood leading to flu-like symptoms in the early stages and eventually to brain damage or death if no action is taken.

Victims may initially suffer from a variety of symptoms including headache, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, confusion and breathing difficulties. These symptoms will begin to disappear when the patient leaves the gas-filled environment or is removed from it.

Anyone suspecting carbon monoxide poisoning should leave the area of risk immediately.

Healthcare professionals should give serious consideration to the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning in the following circumstances:

More than one person in the house is affected.
Patients begin to recover when they leave the environment in which they became ill, such as their homes, holiday homes, caravans or hotel bedrooms.
The symptoms are associated with cooking, use of a stove, or when the central heating is switched on.
The symptoms are worse in winter when heating is in use.

Last reviewed: 13 January 2009