THE NATIONAL Consumer Agency has stepped up its campaign to locate more than 5,000 gas cookers over fears that they could cause lethal carbon monoxide poisoning if not used in accordance with the instructions.
If the grill door on specific models manufactured by Glen Dimplex and Beko is closed when the gas-operated grill is in operation, “extremely dangerous” levels of carbon monoxide can build up, the agency warned yesterday.
“There have been six deaths to date in the UK and Ireland linked to this so we are putting a major push on finding the remaining 5,300 cookers,” Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the agency said.
In November 2008, a French student at the Cork Institute of Technology was found dead in his Macroom flat; a postmortem indicated he had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
An inspection of the gas cooker in the flat was carried out at the request of the Garda in conjunction with the consumer agency and Bord Gáis. It showed that the cooker could have developed a fault if not operated in accordance with the instruction.
The manufacturers immediately set about alerting the public of the potential dangers and urged people with affected models to contact them to have essential safety modifications made.
More than 7,500 of the potentially dangerous cookers were sold in the Republic between 2006 and 2008 but, despite the warnings, just over 2,000 have been located.
“Despite the efforts of the manufacturers, including advertising, mail-outs with Bord Gáis bills and direct liaison with retailers and consumers, to locate these cookers and have adjustments to make them safe, only 2,200 have been located to date,” Ms Fitzgerald said. Given the serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, the agency was “urgently calling on consumers to check their cookers today”.
Four models selling under Glen Dimplex’s New World brand and nine models made by Beko and selling under the brands Flavel, Leisure and Beko have been affected.
Details of the makes and contact numbers for the individual companies are on the National Consumer Agency website www.consumerconnect.ie or from 1890 432 432.
