Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Carbon Monoxide Monitor Could Be Lifesaver

A call for greater use of Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitors in the healthcare sector has been issued following the third instance of suspected Carbon Monoxide poisoning in three weeks.

The world’s media became alerted to the dangers of CO poisoning when seven year old Christianne Shepherd from Wakefield, Yorkshire, and her six-year old brother Robert, died from CO poisoning after fumes leaked into their Greek holiday chalet from a faulty boiler.

In the same week as the Corfu deaths, only closer to home, Marion Stilwell, 61, and her 98-year old mother Florence Holeman, from Tunbridge Wells, were found dead after being poisoned by Carbon Monoxide fumes which had built up in their home because of an unswept chimney.

Finally, this week, a whole class of youngsters from Crookhill Primary School, near Gateshead, were taken to hospital after complaining of feeling sick and dizzy – the classic flu-like symptoms of CO poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide is known as the silent killer, as it can’t be seen, heard or smelt. Faulty boilers, fires and gas cookers, together with blocked flues and chimneys are the most common sources of CO in the home, which can kill within 10 minutes in a confined space.
An average of 50 people die in the UK each year from accidental CO poisoning – but many more present at hospital with symptoms which go undetected.

Trevor Smith, MD of Rochester-based Bedfont Scientific Ltd., said: “People suffering from Carbon Monoxide poisoning often present at hospital with flu-like symptoms which can easily be misdiagnosed. Without proper checks, Accident and Emergency departments can easily send patients back home – right into the jaws of the problem.”

Indeed, in Corfu, an elderly couple who stayed in the same chalet as the Shepherd family, just week earlier, were also affected by the fumes - but the local doctors incorrectly diagnosed their symptoms as being caused by gastroenteritis.

“Had the doctors performed a simple breath test, they would have correctly identified that the couple had been inhaling large quantities of CO,” explained Trevor Smith. “This could have led to an investigation of the chalet so that the faulty boiler would have been found before the Shepherd family arrived.”

“In February 2006, an Oxford resident was admitted to hospital with all of the classic symptoms of CO poisoning, but was sent home after she had recovered overnight, and told to rest and keep warm. By the following morning she was dead, due to the fumes entering her flat from a faulty boiler with a blocked flue. A simple breath test at the hospital could have identified the cause of her symptoms and saved her life.”

Bedfont Scientific Ltd. has been manufacturing specialist monitoring equipment for the medical, scientific and industrial markets for more than 20 years and is an expert on the dangers of Carbon Monoxide and other potentially fatal gases.

Last month’s tragedies and this week’s incident in the North East have once again highlighted the dangers of CO poisoning in the run-up to winter and the disappointing lack of awareness of the symptoms amongst some healthcare professionals and emergency workers.

Mr Smith said: “The young and the elderly are particularly vulnerable at this time of year, as central heating boilers are fired up for the winter – often without being properly serviced or checked.”

Bedfont manufactures the ToxCO+™, which is a hand-held, battery-powered CO monitor which is simple and easy to use and could be a lifesaver if used nationwide by ambulance crews and paramedics.

Mr Smith said: “The ToxCO+™ is the easiest and quickest device for emergency workers to use if blood-testing is not available. This type of breath test is non-invasive, easy to administer and gives instant results – which means treatment can be given right away.”

By placing a mask over the patient’s face, the ToxCO+™ can even be used on a person who is already unconscious.


Mr Smith said: “As with any life-threatening situation, time is always of the essence. By using the ToxCO+™, vital minutes can be saved – and that could be the difference between life and death to someone who has inhaled Carbon Monoxide fumes.”

The recent HSE Gas Safety Forum has initiated a major review of CO poisoning incidents in a bid to make people more aware of the risks of CO poisoning. In addition, an influential group of MPs who form the All-Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group has issued a report which states: "Improving CO detection by emergency workers is key in the fight to tackle CO poisoning incidents in the home.”

They also recommended that “all relevant emergency service workers have CO detection equipment readily available to them.”

Bedfont’s ToxCO+™ is a portable breath Carbon Monoxide monitor designed to allow non-technical staff to screen for CO poisoning iwith instant results.
It can be used both by paramedics in the field and staff in hospital emergency departments.

The ToxCO+™ costs £243 + vat per unit – a small price to pay to save a life.

For further info on this and other Bedfont products, visit www.bedfont.com or telephone 01634 673720.


For further info, contact:

Jane Shotliff, JSPPR, Tel: 01622 820100
Trevor Smith, Bedfont Scientific Ltd. Tel: 01634 673720.