It is ironic that carbon monoxide poisoning has finally achieved nationwide prominence at a time when the statistics suggest we are getting on top of the problem, says Bob Towse.
It will be very interesting to see the long-term impact of the Eastenders story line that featured a victim of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. A near death experience like this makes good TV drama and the director of the soap opera did a good job of highlighting the ever-present danger posed by CO.

To many of the millions of avid Eastenders viewers this would be the first time they had really thought about the potential threat in their own homes. That is the power of soap operas: They have such a mass appeal and can provide an important public service by drawing attention to important issues that are poorly publicised or misunderstood.

CO is, rather like legionnaires' disease, one of those subjects that most people will have heard of, but few will properly understand. The key aspect of the Eastenders story line was that the character, Heather, knew her boiler was faulty, but couldn't afford to have it repaired.

This reflects an increasingly alarming trend as people worried about their job prospects and rising cost of living delay paying for crucial service and maintenance work. This is not confined to the residential sector; there is equal cause for concern in commercial buildings.

Life threatening

Most people would regard a faulty boiler simply as an inconvenience rather than as something that could be life threatening - hopefully Heather's experience will change that mindset. We continually reinforce the message that failing to have heating and cooling appliances serviced will reduce their effectiveness and energy efficiency, but that is sometimes a hard concept to grasp - a health threat seems more immediate and relevant.

New figures from the Gas Safety Trust seem to bear this out. This public body carries out an annual survey of CO problems and has been recording a steady reduction in deaths from this cause for ten years. 2009-10 saw only four official deaths from CO poisoning - the lowest recorded figure since the survey started in 1996. 23 deaths were recorded in the annual survey 10 years ago so progress has been swift and impressive.

The Trust puts this down to improved awareness thanks to continual lobbying by industry bodies and also notes that more consumers are fitting audible CO alarms in their homes. Also, only room-sealed condensing boilers are now permitted for new installations and this has further reduced incidents. It is also clear that the quality of installations has improved over that period thanks, in part, to the efforts of CORGI and the Gas Safety Register, but also the increasing professionalism of the industry.

Appliances are now inherently safer, but, as the Trust points out, four deaths are four too many. It is also concerned that many people may be living with low levels of CO, which might not be life threatening, but still very harmful to their long-term health. It also suggests that many cases are misdiagnosed with GPs regularly mistaking the early symptoms of CO poisoning for flu.

So there is no room for complacency and the awareness campaign must go on. The Trust's biggest concern is the lack of annual servicing of appliances and fears that 'recessionary issues' make this more of a potential problem in the coming months.

Most at risk category

Owner occupiers are now the most at risk category because landlords, councils and housing associations are all bound by law to ensure that all their gas appliances are regularly serviced and have an annual gas safety inspection with the accompanying certificate issued and recorded. This is another factor contributing to the reduction in cases.

The Eastenders storyline should, therefore, ram the message home. Just because recorded cases have fallen does not mean the threat has gone away.
The HVCA will continue to highlight the potential threat of CO to its members and the rest of the industry. Anyone visiting and/or servicing an installation should carry the appropriate CO testing kit and should recommend audible CO alarms to their clients.

However, although alarms are important, they must not be seen as a replacement for regular servicing.