Frequently Asked Questions about Carbon Monoxide Testing

Being odourless and invisible, carbon monoxide indicates its presence in the house at unsafe levels by causing symptoms in the inhabitants. The symptoms that might point to worrying levels of CO are headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, blurred vision, shortness of breath and loss of consciousness. If people are blacking out, you clearly have a desperately serious problem that can prove fatal.

Carbon monoxide interferes with the way the blood transports oxygen to tissues and major organs. The part of the blood that carries oxygen is called haemoglobin. For some reason it prefers to pick up carbon monoxide instead and so your brain and body get starved of oxygen.

Absolutely not. Patio heaters or outdoor heaters are designed to be used in the extremely well ventilated outdoors. Putting them inside with all the windows closed is a recipe for disaster. People die doing this. By the time you are affected by carbon monoxide poisoning, you are no longer thinking straight, so don’t count on realising that something is wrong. The same applies to BBQs – on the deck outside and never inside.