Carbon Monoxide - HELP!

[strongnotskinny]

Hi, I'm around 9 weeks pregnant. I was staying with my family in a cottage in Devon for half term and at about midnight the Carbon Monoxide alarm went off.
We immediately ventilated the house (the source was obvious and v easily fixable - an old aga door that wasn't shut properly) and I slept with the window wide open, but I'm so so worried that I would have inhaled too much and done some damage.
Anyone had anything similar and got any advice/reassurance??

I didn't feel any symptoms and neither did my family who were there so I'm hoping the alarm was just super sensitive and we got it all out in time.

Hi Strongnotskinny
I do really feel for you. Thanks to the CO alarm, you should be fine and so should the baby. I have talked to people exposed to carbon monoxide for over 23 years. However although you did totally the right thing the vital issue is to make sure you find the source of the carbon monoxide and make sure neither you or anyone else is poisoned again. What fuel powers the Aga? Are you quite sure it was the Aga and not something else? Suggest you look at all the appliances in the cottage and also think about next door. If you need to write to me please email [email protected] You will need to make sure all the appliances are properly serviced by properly qualified people (with gas this means Gas Safe Registered but check that the individual is qualified to work on that appliance) , any chimneys and flues are swept and checked, make sure there is adequate ventilation and in your position I'd buy another carbon monoxide (CO) alarm to EN 50291. However, CO alarms are not health monitors so make sure you sleep with windows open and appliances off as much as you possibly can.
Stephanie Trotter, CO-Gas Safety www.co-gassafety.co.uk

Thank you so much for your reply. It's much appreciated and I'm so grateful that we did have an alarm!
Coal was powering the aga and for some reason that night the door got jammed so we had to leave it open. Normally it's fine.
I only stayed one more night and the cottage was well ventilated and the alarm didn't go off again.
We also have a dog and 2 other small children and none showed any ill effects at all so fingers crossed there is no harm to the baby. I just can't stop worrying about brain development.

Hi Strongnotskinny
I have known cases of long exposure where apparently the baby was fine but it's always hard to be certain obviously. However, I really doubt you need worry but of course I totally understand your concerns. You should talk to your doctors but I fear many don't know much about CO and I've never been able to find an expert doctor on exposure to embryos - please let me know if you find one.
Re the cottage please pass on my comments about the need to regularly maintain etc. to the owners plus my praise that they had installed a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. However, this may have been required under Building Regs for a coal powered appliance.
After April 2006 the only valid standard across Europe will be EN50291.
Main alarm requirements:
• at 30ppm (parts per million) CO, the alarm must not activate for at least 120 minutes
• at 50ppm CO, the alarm must not activate before 60 minutes but must activate before 90 minutes
• at 100ppm CO, the alarm must not activate before 10 minutes but must activate before 40 minutes
• at 300ppm CO, the alarm must activate within 3 minutes

Please let me know if you need further help and I'd appreciate an email from you. [email protected] Stephanie Trotter