Senate encourages installation of carbon monoxide detectors

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The Senate has encouraged Nigerians to use and install carbon monoxide detectors (alarms) in their vehicles, houses, offices, workshops and factories in order to insulate them from the hazardous effects of carbon monoxide.

It also directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Federal Ministry of Information and Federal Ministry of Labour to create awareness through radio, television, newspapers and mass media among Nigerian workers and employers on the need to use and install carbon monoxide detectors (alarms).

This resolution was consequent upon the Senate consideration of a motion on the need to encourage installation of the alarms sponsored by Senator Gbolahan Dada (Ogun West).

The Senate noted that apart from deaths occurring from various security challenges in the country, many Nigerians are also losing their lives on daily basis to the devastating effects of carbon monoxide in motor vehicles, houses, offices, workshops and factories.

It further noted that carbon monoxide is a silent killer that has no smell, taste or sound which makes it difficult for any person inhaling it to detect it.

The Senate further said that it was disturbed that in Nigeria, a high fatality figure of carbon monoxide poisoning is recorded while globally, 86, 353 people die from unintentional poisonings in 2015 with 78, 054 deaths occurring in low and middle income countries.

Also, a report by Global Burden of Disease in 2005 shows that in the United States, between 1999 and 2000, a total of 5,149 deaths occurred from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Senators expressed concern that at the moment, nothing is on ground to create awareness on the devastating effects of carbon monoxide and that if nothing is done by the government, innocent Nigerians will continue to be expose to avoidable health hazards likely to terminate their lives.