At the top of the list of home accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real and too often underestimated danger.

All heating devices, hot water production, ovens and stoves fueled with wood, coal, gas or oil produce a small amount of this gas which appears when the supply of oxygen is insufficient to ensure complete combustion of fuels.

It is much more formed with dilapidated or poorly adjusted equipment.

However, unless the housing is properly ventilated to evacuate the CO from the product, the impact on health can be very serious.

Young people with little information

According to a recent OpinionWay study carried out on behalf of the fire safety manufacturer Kidde, 94% of French people have already heard of this type of poisoning.

On the other hand, two-thirds do not identify it as the leading cause of accidental death at home.

While those over 65 are the best informed, this gap mainly affects young people, since 42% of 18-24 year olds do not know precisely what carbon monoxide poisoning is.

Remember that this invisible, odorless and non-irritating gas can be fatal in less than an hour after symptoms of headaches, nausea, or even vomiting.

According to experts, more than 3,000 people are victims of carbon monoxide poisoning each year in France, killing around 100 people.

A dedicated detector

If the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is present all year round, it worsens during the winter period, when the heating is operating at full capacity. However, poor adjustment, poor maintenance of devices or poor ventilation of rooms can lead to poisoning.

In order to limit the risks, it is recommended that a professional intervene regularly to check the good condition of the heating equipment and to ventilate your home daily for at least 10 minutes per day to circulate the air.

In addition, you can install a carbon monoxide detector.

If this equipment is not compulsory in France, unlike the smoke detector, it is already compulsory in other countries such as the United Kingdom, which observed a drop in deaths of around 15% between 2011 and 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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  • Sickness

  • Accident

  • Lodging

  • Heating

  • Winter