Carbon Monoxide Safety When You Live Alone

Carbon monoxide is silent, colourless, and odourless — and when you live alone, no one will notice if you lose consciousness.

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CO poisoning sends over 50,000 people to US emergency rooms each year. Symptoms mimic the flu, making it dangerously easy to ignore.

The Challenge

CO symptoms (headache, dizziness, nausea) are easily confused with tiredness or illness when living alone.

You may lose consciousness before realising there is a problem, with no one present to call for help.

Faulty boilers, gas appliances, and attached garages are common sources that go undetected without regular checks.

Chronic low-level CO exposure over days or weeks can cause persistent headaches and cognitive impairment that you may attribute to stress or illness rather than a gas leak.

How I'm Alive Helps

Install certified CO alarms on every floor and near each sleeping area — test them monthly.

Service all gas appliances and heating systems annually by a qualified engineer.

Set daily I'm Alive check-ins so your contacts are alerted automatically if you become incapacitated.

Keep windows slightly cracked when using gas appliances and never block ventilation openings, ensuring fresh air circulates and reducing the chance of dangerous CO buildup.

Recognising and Responding to CO Exposure

Early CO symptoms include persistent headache, dizziness, nausea, and confusion. If you feel these symptoms at home and they ease when you go outside, suspect CO immediately. If your CO alarm sounds, leave the building straight away, leave the door open, and call emergency services from outside. Do not re-enter until the property has been declared safe. Never run petrol generators, barbecues, or camping stoves indoors or in an attached garage.

Prevention and Monitoring for Solo Living

Have every gas appliance, boiler, and flue inspected annually. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm within 1–3 metres of each fuel-burning appliance. Keep vents and flues clear of blockages such as leaves, bird nests, or snow in winter. A blocked flue forces CO back into your home. Use I'm Alive to schedule a daily check-in. If CO causes you to lose consciousness, a missed check-in triggers an alert to your contacts — providing a critical safety net when you live alone.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I smell carbon monoxide?

No. CO is completely odourless and colourless. You cannot detect it without a working CO alarm.

What appliances produce carbon monoxide?

Gas boilers, cookers, fires, and water heaters; wood-burning stoves; petrol generators; and vehicles in attached garages.

What level of CO is dangerous?

CO alarms are designed to sound before levels become dangerous. Any alarm activation should be treated as a real emergency — do not ignore it.

How is CO poisoning treated?

Fresh air and, in hospital, 100% oxygen therapy. Severe cases may require hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Seek emergency care immediately.

How does I'm Alive help with CO risk?

A daily check-in routine means your contacts are notified quickly if you stop responding — vital if CO incapacitates you before you can call for help.