Hollywood icon Anna Faris has revealed she and her family were hospitalised with carbon monoxide poisoning during a 2019 holiday, as fresh Australian data warns millions of households could face a similar threat this winter.
New research estimates 5.1 million Australian homes with gas or wood appliances don’t have a confirmed working carbon monoxide alarm, leaving families exposed to a silent, potentially deadly risk.
The Scary Movie star recounted the ordeal on the June 4 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, explaining that she, now‑husband Michael Barrett and a dozen relatives had rented a Lake Tahoe home for thanksgiving with “all the heat going” and the windows shut.
“There was a lawsuit, so I can’t get too specific,” Faris said, “but what I can say is that carbon monoxide is odourless and it is deadly.”
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Hollywood star Anna Faris has revealed a terrifying brush with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning that left her and her family “lucky to be alive. Source: YouTube
When family members – especially her father – began feeling unwell with headaches, drowsiness and sluggishness, they initially put it down to altitude and hangovers.
“We knew something was afoot,” she said, recalling how an emergency department “had the wisdom” to check her dad’s blood for carbon monoxide.
“Next thing you know, my husband and I were passed out…I have this hazy memory of being told how lucky I was by a firefighter. It was awful.”
She now travels with a portable detector and remains worried about potential long‑term effects.
Anna Faris attends the “Scary Movie” Global Premiere at Paramount Pictures Studios on June 03, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.
Local authorities later said the family were “lucky to be alive”, with North Tahoe Fire Chief Mike Schwartz urging people to make sure smoke and CO alarms are working wherever they stay.
The warning resonates in Australia as temperatures drop and heaters switch on nationwide.
A new survey of 1000 Australian adults by Alliance Climate Control suggests widespread gaps in home protection.
Among households using combustion appliances, more than half (56.8 per cent) do not have a carbon monoxide alarm installed and a further 15.5 per cent are unsure if one is present, meaning almost three in four (72.4 per cent) could be at risk.
Common CO sources include faulty or unserviced gas heaters, unflued appliances, wood heaters with blocked chimneys and petrol-powered equipment run indoors.
Only 27.6 per cent report having a working alarm.
Hospital data show 1258 carbon monoxide poisoning admissions in the past decade, with 2020–21 recording the highest single‑year total of 201 hospitalisations.
Baby Boomers using gas or wood appliances are the least protected cohort, with 87.1 per cent unprotected – more than double the rate for Gen Z (58.3 per cent).
On a state level, Victoria and NSW have the largest number of at‑risk homes, at an estimated 1.7 million and 1.6 million respectively.
“Exposure to carbon monoxide remains a silent but preventable risk in Australian homes,” Alliance Climate Control project manager Goran Surbevski said, noting the danger rises in winter as heaters are used in tightly sealed spaces.
A carbon monoxide alarm.
“Unlike smoke, carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and often undetectable without a working alarm … Installing and maintaining a working CO alarm this winter is a critical step in preventing avoidable harm.”
Carbon monoxide is produced by incomplete combustion and can build up quickly in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.
In homes, common sources include faulty or unserviced gas heaters, unflued appliances, wood heaters with blocked chimneys and petrol‑powered equipment run indoors or in attached garages.
Early symptoms often mimic a cold or fatigue – headache, dizziness, nausea and tiredness – and can progress to chest pain, shortness of breath, vomiting, blurred vision and confusion. Severe exposure may cause fainting, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be fatal.
Safety experts urge households to install certified carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas and on levels with fuel‑burning appliances, test them regularly and replace batteries as directed.
If carbon monoxide exposure is suspected, get everyone into fresh air immediately, call triple-0 and don’t re‑enter the property until the source is found and the space is declared safe.
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