Consumers warned about dangers of carbon monoxide in video with Mrs Brown's Boys star
Consumers are being warned of the dangers of carbon monoxide as a week of awareness about the highly poisonous gas begins in Ireland.
On average six people in Ireland die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning - yet it is estimated over 730,000 adults in the country do not own a carbon monoxide alarm.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland says some of the alarms on sale do not comply with standards.
Rory Cowan, star of the hit TV comedy “Mrs Brown’s Boys”, is an ambassador for the campaign in 2016 due to his own personal experience with carbon monoxide exposure and speaking about this he said; “This awareness week is very close to my heart as I suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning myself a few years ago.
"I was feeling tired and was suffering from unusual bouts of headaches over a period of time. A friend of mine insisted I ring the gas company’s emergency line. They sent a specialist out who then discovered there were toxic levels of carbon monoxide in my house and I was being slowly poisoned. After my experience I recognise the importance of having a carbon monoxide alarm in the home and I would ask everybody to get one for themselves and their loved ones and friends."
Yvonne Wylde, Technical Standards Manager with the NSAI, is advising consumers and businesses to look out for three quality marks when purchasing a carbon monoxide alarm: "You should look out for three things on the detector, an end of life date, a C mark and the EN number 50291.
"Those three things should be on every carbon monoxide detector on the market in ireland, on the shelves, if they aren't, don't buy it."
