Real time carbon monoxide measurements from 56 UK homes

Ibis paper reports results from the monitoring part of a recent UK Department of Health funded project investigating carbon monoxide (CO) levels in homes during the winter of 2002/2003. In all, 56 homes were monitored for carbon monoxide in 3 cities across the UK. The homes were selected as part of the UK government Warm Front evaluation programme (aimed at reducing fuel poverty) and might be expected to have a higher incidence of problem gas appliances emitting higher than average amounts of CO than the general population. However the ventilation rate of these homes might also be expected to be higher. Measurements of CO were taken at 15-minute intervals in a representative location in the main living area of each home. Thirteen or 23% of the homes were found to exceed the WHO guideline values for ambient CO concentrations. In each home that exceeded the guidelines an assessment of source concentration of each appliance was made by an expert gas engineer, it was found that old, poor quality gas appliances caused a large proportion of exceedances seen.