An outmoded gas water-heater that caused the deaths of two women through carbon monoxide poisoning should never have been installed in their home, the Dublin City Coroners Court has heard.
Mrs Bridget Heffernan (76) and Ms Fiona Heffernan (39), the mother and sister of well-known jazz singer Honor Heffernan, died after they were exposed to a lethal level of carbon monoxide in the kitchen of their home in Stoneybatter, Dublin in October 2003.
The gas was emitted by a flueless instant water heater, which was not fitted with a safety device to prevent excessive carbon monoxide output. A 1996 EU directive ordered all such appliances be fitted with an "oxygen-depletion switch", which turns off the appliance if carbon monoxide levels become too high. However, the Heffernans' water heater had been installed three years previously. The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.
