Indoor carbon monoxide: a case study in England for detection and interventions to reduce population exposure
L J McCann1, R Close, L Staines
1Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, UK.
Background:
Potential exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) in private homes is largely unquantified.
Aim:
To estimate prevalence of potential exposure to CO in residential dwellings and describe associated interventions in an inner-city community.
Methods:
A housing association in London, Hackney Homes, began fitting CO alarms in the 22,831 local authority homes it is responsible for in January 2010. A gas engineer investigated each alarm activation and recorded the information on a standard form. We undertook a cross-sectional study of all 22,831 homes, using data from these forms. Descriptive analysis was performed, including incidence, monthly variation, cause of alarm activation, and actions taken.
Results:
Between November 2011 and April 2012, 106 incidents were reported. Of these, 34.6% identified an issue with a gas appliance, and 10.6% identified misuse of cooking methods as the cause of activation. Relevant interventions were put in place, including disconnection of the gas appliance and education around cooking methods.
Discussion:
Little is known about the burden of CO poisoning in residential dwellings. This study provides important information on the path to quantifying population exposure to CO as well as establishing a possible approach to access this key information and realistic interventions to reduce potential exposure.
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