Lots of nice messages on Linked in for the work anniversary – 26 years of voluntary work pointing out that to avoid deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide (CO) people need to be informed about the dangers, research needs to be done and it is vital that those exposed can obtain a test of their gas appliances for carbon monoxide.This is so those poisoned get the proper medical treatment. Survivors tell us that not being believed by medics and family is even worse than the injuries they suffer for the rest of their lives.
Who’d have thought that an emergency service for an explosive gas and also a deadly gas, wouldn’t provide its personnel with training and equipment capable of testing for the deadly killer (CO), that can’t be sensed using human senses?
We pointed this out very soon after starting the charity in 1995. We, helped by lots of survivors, families and experts even convinced the HSE that this should be changed. In 2000 the HSC/E recommended a levy on the gas suppliers to raise awareness and for research and that the gas emergency service does use such equipment and test for carbon monoxide (CO). But these excellent recommendations have still not been implemented.
We’ve spent 26 years raising these issues while people have died and been injured.
Lack of testing means there is a lack of data. Catch 22. To prove CO; you have to prove CO.
What’s worse is that symptoms of CO are similar to those of any virus, including Covid-19. Yet still nothing is done. What’s happened to our government? What’s happened to the civil service?
We’ve written to the Minister for the HSE first asking for a meeting in May to discuss these issues and then again recently. Why are these safety issues ignored?
CO could be one explanation for poor outcomes from Covid-19 and/or long Covid.