There are hundreds of fatalities every year from Carbon Monoxide, and just a small amount of Carbon Monoxide in your living area can cause major problems over time.

Carbon Monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of the fossil fuels - gas, oil, coal and wood used in boilers, engines, oil burners, gas fires, water heaters, solid fuel appliances and open fires.

Dangerous amounts of CO can accumulate when as a result of poor installation, poor maintenance or failure or damage to an appliance in service, the fuel is not burned properly, or when rooms are poorly ventilated and the Carbon Monoxide is unable to escape.

Having no smell, taste or color, in today's world of improved insulation and double glazing it has become increasingly important to have good ventilation, maintain all appliances regularly and to have absolutely reliable detector alarms installed giving both a visual and audible warning immediately there is a build up of CO to dangerous levels.

NO SMELL and NO TASTE and NO COLOUR

And it is for these reasons that CO detectors are the only way to alert you to increasingly dangerous levels of CO before tragedy strikes.

Carbon Monoxide produces the following physiological effects on people exposed to the concentrations shown:

Carbon Monoxide poisons by entering the lungs via the normal breathing mechanism and displacing oxygen from the bloodstream. Interruption of the normal supply of oxygen puts at risk the functions of the heart, brain and other vital functions of the body.

The above information is for a healthy adult. Persons suffering from heart or respiratory health problems, infants and small children, unborn children, expectant mothers and pets can be affected by CO poisoning more quickly than others in the household and may be the first to show symptoms.

Protect your family with a reliable CO detector

Just as a smoke detector can warn you of a fire in your home, a carbon monoxide detector can let you know about the presence of the "silent killer"-carbon monoxide gas. A properly installed CO detector can save the lives of your family members.

The risk of CO accumulation is greater in newer, tightly sealed homes with minimal ventilation. Know the warning signs: persistent stuffy and smelly air, high humidity, the smell of exhaust fumes, soot around the outside of the fireplace, furnace or chimney, and headaches that disappear when you spend time outside the house.

To protect your family, install CO detectors in or near bedrooms and on all levels of your home. Place a detector about 4.5 metres or 15 feet outside the room that houses your central combustible heating appliance.

Choose CO detectors with one of the following safety approval designations: CSA 6.19; UL 2034; IAS 696. CO detectors, like any appliance, will not work if they are disconnected from the power source. Test battery-operated units regularly and equip with a fresh battery at least once a year. Units wired directly into a household's electrical system should be tested monthly.