Dr Clare Bailey The silent killer in our homes - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Dr Clare Bailey The silent killer in our homes By You Magazine - February 2, 2020 You can’t see, taste or smell it. You may put your constant headache down to flu or even a bad hangover. Severe symptoms include vertigo, nausea or breathlessness. It’s currently killing around 60 people a year and sending around 4,000 to A&E. I’m talking about carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a colourless and odourless gas that’s produced when carbon-based fuel is incompletely burnt. Normally our red blood cells deliver oxygen to our heart, brain, vital organs and the rest of the body. But CO binds 240 times more strongly to the red blood cells, displacing oxygen with potentially lethal consequences. Maite Franchi/Folio Art Exposure can occur in confined spaces with poor ventilation, particularly in winter with closed windows and heating. Add a poorly installed, faulty or badly maintained gas boiler, heater or cooker and you are at risk. Other sources include portable generators, blocked chimneys and clogged car exhausts. Years ago I had radiators installed in summer and was advised to leave the heating on for 24 hours. I woke with a headache and nausea. Later, I realised an open window had been funnelling fumes from the flue into my bedroom. By then I’d turned it off and recovered. Others are not so lucky. The trouble is low-level CO poisoning is difficult to identify. Brief exposure may feel like food poisoning or flu with headaches, nausea and dizziness. Over 30 per cent of people are likely to mistake the symptoms of CO poisoning as something else. Most people recover from low-level CO poisoning, though children, pregnant women, the elderly, those with heart or respiratory diseases are more vulnerable to complications. With chronic low-level exposure symptoms appear more slowly. You may also suffer from irritability, memory issues, respiratory and heart problems – yet these are often attributed to other causes. Exposure to higher levels of CO leads to more acute symptoms such as confusion, shortness of breath, heart attack, weakness, loss of consciousness or even death. Carbon monoxide poisoning Signs to look out for Other people in your home fall ill with similar symptoms. When you change location symptoms clear but return when you’re back. Symptoms get worse in winter. Your pets also become ill. Gas-powered appliances develop yellow or orange flames rather than blue, you see an increase in soot or yellow-brown staining, the pilot light frequently blows out, there is more window condensation or smoke builds up in rooms. To stay safe, have appliances serviced regularly by a Gas Safe Registered engineer and ensure proper ventilation. Install a CO alarm (try fireangel.co.uk). Never use ovens to heat your home, or sleep in a room with a gas fire without a flue. If you’re concerned about a leak, get into fresh air and phone the emergency line: 0800 111 999. If you suspect exposure, seek medical advice. If concerned about high levels, go straight to A&E. They can measure your CO levels, give you high-dose oxygen therapy and check for complications. Add some sparkle to your five a day Getty Images If you fancy a fizzy drink but are put off by headlines about how unhealthy they are, Güt makes low-sugar, low-calorie versions. What’s unusual is that each 330ml can contains 4g of chicory inulin, a prebiotic fibre known to benefit the microbiome – those trillions of bugs in your large intestine that produce chemicals which help keep you healthy and happy. As well as contributing to normal bowel function, the boost of inulin helps you to reach the ideal fibre target of 30g a day, something most of us don’t usually get close to achieving. Your fibre intake should come from many different sources but 4g per can is a good way to start. I’m a big fan of drinking mainly plain water, but these make a very pleasant-tasting alternative. They’re also vegan and come in two flavours: Sicilian Lemon, Mint and Rooibos or Raspberry, Blueberry and Rooibos, all with an added gut-friendly boost. For more information, go to gut-drinks.com. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved