TOXIC fumes from "dangerous" boilers could be the reason behind the ill health of people living in flats in Melbourne.
Tenants at the CHP-owned apartments on Arnhem Road were left without the use of their boilers for a week after experts condemned the systems as posing an 'immediate risk', forcing the Chelmsford-based housing association to replace them.
But those living at the privately-rented flats now fear the boilers could have been releasing toxic fumes into their homes causing prolonged coughs, stomach aches and respiratory conditions in both them and their children.
Mother-of-two Emily Smith said: "I just feel like CHP have let everyone down. You trust that you're living in a safe property, and when you find out this could be making your children ill it's just a worry. They don't seem to care about people's safety."
Emily, who moved into the property in 2009, was visited on Tuesday, September 2, for her annual boiler check.
But before even looking at her system, the engineer told her it would need to be switched off after checks on a neighbour's boiler had revealed that the two flue pipes importing and extracting gases were positioned too close to one another to be safe.
The concerned 33-year-old quickly e-mailed CHP to ask why all the boilers in the building were not undergoing the same checks. The next morning workmen arrived to condemn boilers in neighbouring flats, and organise replacements.
"If I hadn't e-mailed they wouldn't have told everyone else, they wouldn't have gone to the lengths they have gone to. It's the fact that they have just ignored everyone's safety – how many other properties are dangerous?" Emily told the Chronicle.
The neighbours now fear that the boilers could have been emitting unsafe levels of nitrogen oxides, produced by combustion, causing poor health in their young children.
Tenant Susan Carson, whose husband has been advised to consider civil action against CHP, said: "Both my daughters have had bad coughs ever since we moved in and me too.
"I had my annual check just three months ago and they told me it was fine. The only reason I heard about this was through Emily."
Emily's six-year-old daughter Charlotte has suffered with asthma since she was a toddler, which her mum believes becomes more severe in the house.
In particular, it flares up during the colder months when the boiler was being used more.
Both mums say their children suffer with almost nightly stomach aches.
"We've always said there's something to do with the flats which make us feel ill.
"I'm just concerned about the health of my children," added Emily.
Denise Kent, CHP director of commercial services, said: "CHP's contractor identified a defect with a small number of heating systems in Arnhem Road, which the company swiftly rectified and has responded to all concerns raised by the residents."
