Tag: CO-Awareness

Carbon Monoxide Awareness Charity

Posted on by Alun

coawareness-logoMy name is Lynn Griffiths. You will properly be unaware I even exist so please allow me to introduce myself.

  • From 1988 – 1999 My family and I were poisoned by carbon monoxide for over a decade.
  • From 1999 – 2005 I became carbon monoxide aware and made some great contacts in the UK and America.
  • From 2005 – 2014 I worked long hours unpaid as President of the charity “Carbon Monoxide Awareness.”

I have spend the last 26+ years either being poisoned by carbon monoxide or trying to prevent what my family and I went through/are still going through from happening to someone else either living/working here in the UK.

  • I know what it’s like to be a victim of carbon monoxide.
  • I know what it’s like to be poisoned by carbon monoxide and have nobody to turn to for help, support or advice.
  • I know what it’s like to get misdiagnosed by a doctor as suffering from the flu, a virus etc.
  • I know what it’s like to have carbon monoxide cause long term and permanent health problems with debilitating effects to the sufferer.
  • I know what it’s like to love someone only to loose them and have to bring up a son aged three years and three others all of school age all alone.
  • I know what it’s like to try and get a school’s SENCO teacher to give your son the correct cognitive tests only to have your pleas fall on deaf ears.
  • I know what it’s like to pay for a gas service (annually) for over a decade only for a blocked flue to be missed over and over again.
  • I know what is like to care and understand.
  • I know what it’s like to work unpaid for long hours to try and prevent what happened to your family from happening to others.
  • I know what it’s like to nothave the support you so desperately need from several government ministers to help make a difference.
  • I know what it’s like to have no donations to help you continue with something you know  a little more than most about. This is all the charity has to survive: www.everyclick.com Should you know of any company looking for a charity of the year please ask them to think of us.

How many people living here in the UK today are still unaware they too could be suffering the effects of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning just like my family and I were without even knowing it?

Carbon monoxide incidents over the last 21 months have been rising faster than the charity has ever seen before. Please help us prevent ignorance from costing another person/family/colleague their life due to carbon monoxide poisoning.  Most of the charity’s posters and leaflets can be found on our website www.COvictim.org oron our main supporters website’s carrying their logo.

Info:

Carbon Monoxide Awareness Charity is an independent registered charity run entirely by unpaid volunteers.

Carbon Monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of any hydrocarbon fuel. Examples: Coal, Charcoal, Wood, Oil, Petrol, Diesel, Natural Gas and LPG etc.

Most people are not aware:

  • The World Health Organisation recommendations advise people shouldn’t be exposed to more than just SIX PPM of Carbon Monoxide over 24-hours
  • The NICE 2013 guidelines for Carbon Monoxide poisoning emphasises that NOT finding the source of exposure does NOT exclude it ?

Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week runs Monday 17th November to Sunday 23rd November 2014. Please add this date to your diary and if you can pledge your support to the charity by giving a little of your valuable time to help the charity educate those living in a community near you about the danger of carbon monoxide from all fuels.

For more info on the charity’s 9th National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week please click here: http://covictim.org/articles/details/pledge-your-support-to-charity-s-9th-national-carbon-monoxide-awareness-week–

If you can help the charity launch a national campaign to help save lives or prevent injury from something you can’t touch, taste, see, hear or smell please contact Lynn via the charity’s website.

CO Awareness Week

Posted on by Alun

coawareness-logoThe annual Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week commences on Monday 18th November and runs through until Sunday 24th November. The national event was started by CO-Awareness, a registered charity founded by Lynn Griffiths nearly nine years ago. CO-Awareness is a registered charity that supports the many victims of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and other products of combustion (POC), their families and friends. The charity  campaigns for the greater awareness to the dangers of carbon monoxide and other products of combustion associated with the burning of gas, oil, coal and wood. Additionally the charity campaigns for changes in the legislation covering the manufacture, installation and servicing of appliances burning the above fuels and lobby the Government and Industry to improve safety and raise awareness.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an extremely poisonous gas that can be present in the fumes from the combustion of fuel’s which aren’t burnt under the correct conditions. Fuels such as gas, oil,  solid mineral fuel and biomass all have the potential to emit CO. The gas cannot be seen, smelled or tasted making it difficult to detect. find out more about the signs, symptoms and actions to take by clicking here.

For the 2013 National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week you can join people, organisations and businesses of all sizes to help raise awareness of the danger of carbon monoxide. You can be part of the campaign in many ways. Click here to download the campaign poster and find out how you can support the campaign. Some of the aims of the charity and the campaign include:

  • To raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide.
  • To make the public aware: All hydrocarbon fuel (charcoal, wood, oil, petrol, diesel, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) appliances need to be serviced regularly.
  • Homeowners (with gas appliances) can apply for a “free gas safety check via their gas provider” if they are on a qualifying benefit.
  • To make the pubic aware: Their chimney needs to be swept regularly.
  • Promote the charity’s FREE Carbon Monoxide Android Phone App & NEW website (see below)
  • To make sure the public understand a carbon monoxide alarm is NEVER a substitute for the correct installation or servicing of ANY gas, oil, wood or coal burning appliances. The World Health Organisation recommendations advise that people should not be exposed to more than SIX parts per million over a 24-hour period.
  • Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the correct place. More & more people are fitting/or advising people to fit their carbon monoxide alarms in the wrong place.

FireAngelA range of safety and awareness  posters are available from CO Awareness along with a downloadable CO Awareness app. Contact Lynn directly on 07715 899296 or email LynnCoAwareness@aol.com to find out more. You can also find out more about the charity and donate on their website at www.covictim.org.

There are a number of organisations and charities who, along with HETAS, are committed to raising awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and CO safety, you can find out more about these organisations by clicking here.