Why we all need to be alarmed

BRITISH parents spend hundreds of pounds on safety features to protect their children – yet new research reveals a third of them fail to invest in a cheap device that could save their child’s life.

On average, UK parents spend £222 on safety items for their children, but they’re almost twice as likely (78%) to buy a car seat as a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, which costs from around £10-£20.

New research by the Carbon Monoxide Be-Alarmed! campaign has revealed a third of parents don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm in their home, and those with children under 12 months are the least likely to have one (42%). In fact, stair gates, baby monitors, plug covers, cupboard and drawer locks and smoke alarms all came above CO alarms in the list of ‘must-have’ safety items.

SILENT KILLER

CARBON monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it can affect people before they’re aware there’s a problem. Indeed, more than 50 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 4,000 are treated in hospital.

CO Be-Alarmed! campaign spokesperson Lawrence Slade says: “You can’t see it (carbon monoxide), taste it or smell it, so an alarm can be lifesaving.”

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, and Lawrence explains: “Being smaller, the carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and is carried around the body much quicker.”

Unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to CO poisoning, as they depend on the mother’s air supply and if she inhales CO, they have no choice but to take in the poison, which can cause learning difficulties.

“A CO alarm should be at the top of any parent’s safety checklist,” stresses Lawrence.

LACK OF AWARENESS

THE vast majority (91%) of parents polled said they had a smoke alarm before they had children, compared to just 55% who owned a carbon monoxide alarm.

But why don’t all parents install CO alarms?

“I think it’s lack of awareness more than anything,” says Lawrence.

“It’s easy for parents to see when their child is going to hurt themselves on a sharp corner when crawling around, or playing with a