Having a barbecue this weekend? Beware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning as you sizzle those sausages!

By Claudia Tanner For Mailonline

Published: 08:41 EDT, 2 June 2017 | Updated: 07:16 EDT, 28 June 2017

Four in five Britons do not know about the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning while having a barbecue, alarming research has revealed.

The survey has revealed people recognise other risks of barbecuing - such as food poisoning, burns, child safety, garden fires and drunken accidents - above the danger of the deadly fumes that are emitted.

It also discovered Britons are as concerned about potential damage to their garden plants caused by a barbecue as they are about being exposed to CO gas.

It has prompted a warning that you should never use a barbecue indoors or in a tent or caravan, as the fumes can be fatal in a confined spaces.

This comes as half the nation plan to have a barbecue for family and friends an average of five times this year. Warning: Even if you’ve finished cooking, your barbecue can still give off fumes

Jonathan Samuel, chief executive of Gas Safe Register which complied the poll of 2,000 people, said: 'Many people are not aware that barbecues emit dangerous carbon monoxide if not used correctly.

'It may seem like a good idea at the time to bring a barbecue inside to let food cool down or to keep warm, but this can result in CO poisoning due to lack of ventilation.

'By knowing the symptoms, people may be able to act quickly and reduce the severity of CO poisoning.'

Gas Safe Register offers the following barbecue safety tips:

The 'silent killer'

The Register warns that even if you’ve finished cooking, your barbecue can still give off fumes, so it's important to keep it outdoors.

They also recommend ensuring you can see your lit barbecue at all times and following the barbecue operating instructions.

Known as ‘the silent killer’, CO gas has no colour, taste or smell and can have fatal consequences.

The side-effects of exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide are not always obvious can be similar to those of food poisoning and flu.

More than 200 people go to hospital in the UK each year with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, which leads to around 50 deaths.

Warning for campers

Previous research suggested millions of families are putting their lives at risk by exposing themselves to carbon monoxide fumes while on holiday.

A survey of travellers heading off on camping or caravanning trips revealed a worrying lack of awareness of the dangers of using heaters, barbecues and gas cookers inside a tent or caravan.

Almost half of people (45 per cent) admitted cooking in their tent or under a canvas, while one in five had used a fuel burning appliance to heat their tent, found CORGI, the now defunct gas safety body.

Nearly one in five of us (17 per cent) of people had brought a charcoal or gas barbecue inside a tent - risking asphyxiation.

Almost one in two (43 per cent) did not know how the gas - which is colourless and odourless - was created.
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