Raising the alarm over silent killer

THOMAS Cook staff will stand trial next month charged with negligence after Christi Shepherd (7) and her six-year-old brother Bobbi died of carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu.

Chronicle reporter Karen Doherty found out more about the silent killer which ripped their family apart.

“IT was one of the scariest moments of my life. To see my son collapse unconscious, I can still cry now just thinking about it.”

The horror remains fresh as Angela Hindle, from Clarksfield, recalls how a holiday with young son Andrew in North Yorkshire 12 years ago turned into a nightmare.

Unknown to them, they were sharing their caravan with a potential killer. A faulty gas fridge was pumping out colourless, odourless and tasteless but lethal carbon monoxide (CO) which stops the body absorbing and using oxygen.

It can kill in minutes while low-level exposure over a long period can cause brain and neurological damage.

Angela (51) initially blamed a hangover when she woke up with a headache after drinking with another single mum staying on the site the night before.

“We had a bottle of Lambrini between us, which is not exactly the strongest wine in the world. I got up in the morning feeling as if I had the most horrible hangover,” she explained.

“I had a headache, was sick and dizzy. I passed out on the settee at one stage. I opened the windows, don’t ask me why, I just just needed fresh air and I was thinking ‘I will never touch another drop of alcohol in my life’.”

But Angela knew something was seriously wrong when 10-year-old Andrew came out of the bedroom.

“He was quite red in the face. All he said was ‘mummy I don’t feel well’. At that stage his legs gave way and he corkscrewed to the floor. I didn’t know it but he was unconscious.

“Instinct took over. I knew I had to get us both out of the caravan, I don’t know why. I opened the caravan door and dragged him to the car, I was completely out of my mind.”

A fellow holidaymaker was a nurse who recognised the symptoms of CO poisoning. A local doctor was called and Angela had to endure a 40-mile dash by ambulance to the nearest hospital in North Allerton, the longest hour of her life.

Thankfully, by the time they arrived, Andrew’s oxygen had returned to normal and they were able to continue their holiday. The family hamster even managed to escape unscathed because his cage was next to an air vent!

They are the lucky ones. Among the 3,457 Brits who are estimated have had near misses with CO in the last 13 years, 1,857 needed hospital treatment.

Warm weather meant Angela had left the caravan windows open, preventing the build up of the toxic gas. If she hadn’t, their names could have been added to the 504 who have died as a result of CO faulty appliances — the youngest just a baby and the oldest 98.

“To this day, I still think ‘what if there has been something blocking the air vent, if it hadn’t been such a draughty caravan,’ admitted Angela, who is now married to St James’s ward councillor Roger Hindle.

The drama brought about changes at the caravan park, with the owners replacing the gas fridges with electric ones and installing CO monitors.

Andrew is now a purchase ledger with Manchester Housing while Angela is a customer excellence officer with First Choice Homes Oldham, which manages the borough’s council houses.

She is supporting a call by her husband and fellow Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Alcock for social landlords to install dual smoke and CO monitors in their properties.

Message

They say this could save 20 lives a year. The council has agreed to write to landlords urging them to act. It is also hoped that homeowners will heed the message.

Councillor Alcock, Cabinet member for the environment, said: “Everybody knows smoke detectors can save lives. CO detectors save lives as well but they do not get the same publicity.

“CO is a silent and deadly killer. For a small investment, we are talking the cost of six or seven pints of beer, you could save your life or the lives of people you love.”

Co-Gas Safety, the carbon monoxide and gas safety society, believes that the fatality figures may be the tip of the iceberg as there is no automatic testing for CO. They also say that people have difficulty obtaining a blood or breath test and a diagnosis from a doctor.

Symptoms include headaches, nausea, exhaustion, drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, palpitations, chest pain and unconsciousness.

The young and the elderly are at higher risk.

Councillor Hindle added: “We have all seen the TV and newspaper adverts for the danger signs of meningitis and how to do the tumbler tests. We have seen the fire adverts for checking smoke alarms and been told to ‘pull our finger out’ to test them.

“More recently there has been the TV, radio and newspaper adverts for recognising the symptoms of stroke but I would be very surprised if many people know what the symptoms are for CO poisoning.

“Victims don’t look ill or pale as you might expect, in fact it is the exact opposite. Sufferers go bright red or look flushed — in fact they look extremely healthy.

“There are no danger warnings as carbon monoxide has no smell or taste. Sometimes the danger is caught in time, often more by pure luck than management. Angela and Andrew were very lucky. Things could have been catastrophic.”

For more information, visit www.co-gassafety.co.uk