A Birkenhead company that has developed a unique way of testing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors has launched its new patented product into the United States after identifying a major gap in the market.

Detectagas, set up by directors John and Beverley Stones went live with its product on both sides of the Atlantic this month after securing distribution deals and appointing a new US sales and marketing director.

The Detectagas product has been developed in response to growing concern about the reliability of domestic CO detectors following a spate of product recalls and a number of incidents involving CO poisoning caused by faulty heating appliances. Around 150 people are dying in the UK each year from CO poisoning and low level exposure to gas through faulty devices is also linked to a variety of debilitating illnesses such as ME and Alzheimer's.

With over 13 years experience in the CO detector manufacturing sector, John has extensive knowledge of the problems associated with many of the systems available on the market, specifically the fact that the test button on most CO detectors only checks the alarm bell but doesn’t test the sensor which has a limited life of around five years.  This means there are some 10 million detectors currently fitted in UK homes and 100 million in the United States, almost half of which may potentially not be working.

His new safety test kit comprises a hood that fits over the detector device and an aerosol that delivers a harmless measure of test gas onto the detector.  If the alarm fails to sound within three minutes, the sensor has failed and a new alarm is required.

John has just returned from a ten day trip to the United States where he visited trade shows and met distributors and customers to preview the new Detectagas launch. He said: "The reaction to the product has been fantastic.  The problem of CO gas poisoning is much more widely recognised and the health and safety legislation much more robust over there but there is still nothing similar to our product on the market.

"Our trade and distribution contacts, the appointment of a dedicated sales and marketing director and the response from the public suggests that the United States will be a major market for Detectagas as we ultimately look to take the product global."

A supporter and affiliate of the registered charity, CO-Awareness, Detectagas will also be heavily involved in next month’s CO-Awareness Week, which will include a series of exhibitions and events at various UK parliament buildings, culminating in a local event at Liverpool Town Hall on 21st November.