Carbon monoxide poisoning killed 26 last year

Last year the Antigifcentrum/Centre antipoisons recorded 538 carbon monoxide poisoning accidents that killed 26 and harmfully affected 1,251 people. In 2012, the centre reported 1,240 casualties and 23 fatalities.

Overall, though, the number of carbon monoxide poisoning accidents has fallen steadily since 1995, thanks to better prevention methods and safer devices. Most accidents are caused by water heating systems. In 2013, a quarter of the accidents reported occurred in the bathroom.

“On the whole it’s individual systems that cause problems. Central heating sytems are often installed in uninhabited rooms,” said the centre, which stressed the importance of good ventilation. It also recommended that heaters be inspected once a year and to replace systems which do not come with safety mechanisms in place.

The Antigifcentrum/Centre antipoisons received 53, 588 calls in 2013 – or about 147 calls per day. Eighty-three percent of them related to reactions to contact with skin irritants.