Carbon Monoxide Awareness week 2010

New World Health Organisation guidelines

The WHO have just released their new guidelines for indoor air quality.
The new recommendation is a maximum permitted level of around SIX parts per million of CO averaged over a 24 hour period. This reflects the evolution of the way in which we understand CO toxicity.
You can obtain a copy of the report by following this link. Information about CO (co-authored by Dr David Penney) starts at around page 55.

Major pub chain sentenced over Merseyside landlord's death

This press release from the HSE makes tells a terrifying but all too familiar story.

Chronic low level exposure and cognitive impairment

Low level exposure to CO shown to cause cognitive impairment in student volunteers.

CO makes you dizzy..

An 'unusual' case of dizziness reported in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology.

Amanda's Law

It is now mandatory for domestic dwellings in the state of New York to be fitted with CO alarms. More information here.
How long before we get similar legislation in the UK?

On-line teaching module now available

I am very happy to say that an on-line teaching module on CO poisoning is now available on the doctors.net.uk website. You need a GMC number to register on this site, but I'm hoping to make this module available on the medical student section of the site too.
When you log in, go to 'Education', then 'College of Emergency Medicine' (in the bar on the left) and the 'Carbon Monoxide Poisoning' module is listed there.