Stephanie Trotter OBE, President of CO-Gas Safety, discusses the unseen dangers of CO poisoning and advocates for crucial changes in public awareness and safety measures

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is an often-overlooked but lethal hazard, claiming lives and leaving lasting impacts on survivors.

CO-Gas Safety, an independent, registered charity founded in 1995, is dedicated to preventing unintentional CO-related fatalities and injuries, supporting affected families and collecting data to drive awareness and safety improvements.

Stephanie Trotter, OBE, the charity’s President and Director, has played a crucial role in this mission.

A barrister and advocate for safety, her journey began through personal encounters with preventable accidents and tragic stories like that of Molly Maher, who lost her son to CO poisoning.

In this interview, IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey speaks with Stephanie about her work with CO-Gas Safety, the challenges in raising public awareness and her ongoing efforts to address the often-invisible dangers of CO poisoning across the UK.

Stephanie shares her insights into the importance of legislation, public education and the powerful role survivors’ stories play in driving meaningful safety reforms.

What exactly is carbon monoxide and why is it so dangerous?

CO is a deadly gas emitted from faulty cooking, heating, or other appliances powered by carbon-based fuels such as gas, coal, wood, or oil.

It cannot be detected by human senses—smell, taste, sight, or touch.

Less than 2% of CO in the air can kill in under three minutes.

Firefighters say that with the first breath you don’t know there’s a problem, by the second you might suspect something’s wrong, but by the third you’re unable to take any action.

CO is lethal because it binds to the haemoglobin in blood, which normally carries oxygen around our bodies, effectively suffocating us.

CO₂ (carbon dioxide) consists of one atom of carbon and two of oxygen, whereas CO contains one atom of carbon and one of oxygen.

CO is emitted when there is a lack of oxygen at the flame.

How is CO typically produced by faulty appliances such as cookers or heaters?

If a gas appliance is clogged with dust and debris, there will be a lack of oxygen at the flame.

If the ventilation grille or chimney/flue is blocked, or lack of air in a small room, the oxygen can quickly become depleted. Both issues can occur simultaneously.

Why can’t carbon monoxide be detected by human senses?

Humans cannot detect CO because it’s colourless, odourless and tasteless.

Some people report that pets like dogs and cats can sense something is wrong.

Other combustion products, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, can sometimes be detected by humans, but they’re not always present.

Testing a survivor’s breath or blood can be unreliable because CO quickly leaves the body, yet the person can continue to suffer injury even after removal from exposure to CO.

What are some of the key warning signs that a gas appliance might be faulty or producing CO emissions?

The fuel industry suggests that visual signs like soot or condensation can indicate CO.

A blue flame is unlikely to emit CO, while an orange flame could be a warning.

However, relying on visual signs is dangerous because CO cannot be sensed by humans.

Even an appliance with a perfect-looking blue flame can emit CO.

The only way to be certain is to test the air using a flue gas analyser or similar instrument designed to detect CO.

What steps can individuals take to prevent CO poisoning in their homes?

Any appliance powered by carbon-based fuel can emit CO if faulty.

To prevent CO poisoning, awareness of the danger is essential.

Ensure appliances are properly installed by qualified professionals according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In the UK, this means you must by law use a Gas Safe Registered Engineer (GSE) qualified to work on that appliance.

Regular maintenance is crucial.

Adequate ventilation must be ensured so there’s enough oxygen at the flame to produce CO₂ instead of CO.

Chimneys and flues should be swept and checked by a sweep belonging to a recognised trade association.

Appliances without flues, like gas cookers and portable gas heaters, are extremely dangerous.

As an extra safeguard, purchase and install a CO alarm compliant with EN50291 in Europe.

Buy alarms from reputable suppliers, not the Internet, and substandard alarms have been recalled.

Make sure to activate the alarm correctly. CO alarms are effective at preventing death or serious injury but are not health monitors. They are designed to sound at certain levels of CO over time.

The EN standard requires that the alarm must not sound until at least 30 parts per million (PPM) of CO is sensed for two hours.

Higher levels trigger the alarm sooner.

WHO guidelines state there should be no more than 4 PPM over 24 hours.

Research indicates that even levels around these guidelines can cause brain damage in older adults.

Effects on children and babies are likely to be worse because the smaller you are, the faster CO affects you.

This is why miners used canaries as the first alert to CO.

Will gas emergency services always test for carbon monoxide if called out to a gas leak?

In the UK, there is no mandatory duty on the gas emergency service to test the air or emissions from appliances for CO.

There is no mandatory duty on Registered Gas Safe engineers to test for CO, although many do.

There is also no obligation to inform those exposed or their medics about that CO exposure.

Surely there should be a mandatory duty on engineers to test for CO whenever practicable? Ofgem, which licenses gas companies, has duties to raise awareness of CO and to customers in vulnerable situations.

After lobbying, Ofgem provided funding for gas emergency service companies run by the Gas distribution Networks which are now testing for CO but only for customers in vulnerable situations, such as those on the Priority Services Register (the sick, the poor, elderly, disabled, those with young children, or in remote areas).

Ofgem allows the networks to decide who qualifies as vulnerable.

Some companies like Cadent and Northern Gas Networks are leading in testing efforts, using CMDDA1 qualified engineers, but only about 2% of engineers have this qualification.

Even then, engineers often refuse to test if the customer is a tenant.

We have offered our expertise to help with data collection but have yet to have a meaningful meeting.

Ofgem has indicated that if the Health & Safety Executive deems CO testing a safety issue, they would need to fund testing for everyone.

Yet it seems to us that HSE is uninterested.

What policy changes or regulations do you believe are necessary to address CO safety in homes?

Firstly, awareness and prevention are crucial. Secondly, appliances and air in homes should be tested where practicable.

If CO is found, the PPM results should be provided to survivors and their medics in writing or digitally from a named engineer.

This should become mandatory.

Thirdly, test data should be collected and published with case studies where practicable.

Fourthly, blood tests should be performed on the deceased, especially where death is unexplained, as CO remains stable in dead bodies.

Lastly, victims, survivors and families should be assisted to help identify new dangers and gaps.

This body or a new one could be funded by a levy on the fuel industry and operate independently, similar to the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK.

Studies suggest that between 3 and 13 million people in the UK could be exposed to dangerous levels of CO (over 50 PPM).

What steps do you think should be taken globally to improve CO safety and prevent further tragedies?

Globally, countries need to legislate to create bodies responsible for CO safety.

Fuel companies could lobby governments to establish these bodies, and/or governments could impose legislation.

Necessary bodies include licensing authorities to ensure safe gas supply, funded by levies on fuel companies, regulatory agencies similar to the Health and Safety Executive to approve safety cases from supply companies, a national emergency service for fuel-related incidents, professional registers to ensure correct training for engineers and chimney sweeps and independent organisations to support survivors and families, collect and publish data, conduct research and suggest safety improvements.

For more information visit www.co-gassafety.co.uk or contact [email protected]

This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.