People in Plymouth risk BBQ carboon monoxide poisoning

Gas Safe Register has launched a gas safety-themed playlist this festival season as research has found that Millennials are the generation most at risk from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning caused by unsafe barbecuing.

Recent research has revealed that the majority (73%) of people in Plymouth do not identify CO poisoning as a potential danger when barbecuing, instead selecting food poisoning (78%), burns (68%), child safety (58%), garden fires (40%) and drunken accidents (29%) as the main barbecue hazards.

Millennials (18- to 35-year-olds) are twice as likely (19%) to bring barbecues into enclosed spaces (such as tents or caravans) after cooking than the rest of the population (9%), increasing to nearly 10 times as likely compared to those over 55 (2%).

Bringing a barbecue inside a tent, caravan or any enclosed space (even when cooling down after cooking) can lead to unsafe levels of CO gas being released, as it doesn’t have enough ventilation to burn properly.

While half the nation (52%) is planning on barbecuing an average of five times this year, most (80%) do not identify CO poisoning as a potential danger when barbecuing, despite the risks involved.

With Britain’s summer music festival season in full swing, the Gas Safety Playlist can be downloaded by visiting Spotify or Apple Music:

1.    Regina Spektor – Carbon Monoxide
2.    Coldplay – Warning sign
3.    Alice Cooper – Poison
4.    Arctic Monkeys – D is for Dangerous
5.    Oasis – Gas Panic
6.    Beck – Nausea
7.    T. Rex – Life’s a Gas
8.    Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five – Struttin’ with Some Barbecue
9.    The Beatles – Dizzy Miss Lizzy
10.  Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Breathless

Spotify URL: http://spoti.fi/2udkwDu

Apple Music URL: http://apple.co/2gMC3Ot

Jonathan Samuel, chief executive of Gas Safe Register, said: “As festival season gathers pace, stay safe and keep barbecues outside so they’re well ventilated. Carbon monoxide can be mistaken for other illnesses so it’s importance to know the symptoms; headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness and collapse or lack of consciousness.”

Gas Safe Register offers the following barbecue safety tips:

·         Never use a barbecue inside
·         Don’t take a smouldering or lit barbecue into a tent, caravan or cabin. Even if you’ve finished cooking, your barbecue can still give off fumes, so keep it outside
·         Always ensure you can see your lit barbecue and don’t leave it lit whilst sleeping
·         Use your barbecue in accordance with the operating instructions
·         CO poisoning is known as ‘the silent killer’ as it has no colour, taste or smell - be aware of the signs and symptoms of CO poisoning - headaches, nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, collapse and loss of consciousness.

For more information, Trust the Triangle and visit www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or search #GasSafeSummer.