In a joint press release, the Ministry of Health and several agencies provide several tips and warnings to avoid contamination with this invisible, odorless and non-irritating gas which can be fatal.
An increasingly serious danger as temperatures drop. In a joint press release published this Thursday, November 14, the Ministry of Health, Public Health France and ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety) warn against monoxide contamination. of carbon (CO).
As the document indicates in the preamble, in France, annually, 3,000 people are accidentally poisoned by this invisible, odorless and non-irritating gas. Around a hundred people infected lost their lives.
We also remind you of the different possible sources of this deadly gas: installations connected to a conduit (boiler, water heater, fireplace), mobile devices if they are misused (additional heating, brazier, generator, pump water heater, barbecue) as well as appliances using fuels (natural gas, wood, coal, fuel oil, butane, propane, gasoline, oil).
Maintenance and precautionary actions
So to protect yourself from any danger, the health authorities also list a whole series of tips to avoid contamination.
For your home, for example, it is advisable to have the heating installations “checked and maintained by a qualified professional” at least once a year. You are also asked to ventilate your home for around ten minutes a day, regardless of the outside temperature, but also to keep the ventilation systems in good condition.
Particular attention is also required with regard to mobile devices. Thus, the press release asks you to respect the instructions for using combustion appliances indicated by the manufacturer and above all not to use cooking appliances for heating.
In addition, generators, fire pits and barbecues should never be used in an enclosed space.
Contact emergency services
In the event of fear or doubt of potential contamination, emergency measures must also be taken, including immediate ventilation of the accommodation concerned.
It is also advisable to turn off combustion appliances if possible, evacuate the premises and contact emergency services by dialing 15, 18 or 112.
The most common symptoms observed in infected patients are headache, nausea, mental confusion and fatigue.
A few tragic cases of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning can already be counted at the end of 2024: at the end of October, a 10-year-old child was found lifeless in the Vosges while in November, it was a woman who died in the same conditions in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.
Caroline Dieudonné with Hugo Septier
