New California Carbon Monoxide Laws
As of January 1, 2011, all single-family residences (whether owner or tenant occupied) that have a fossil fuel heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage are required to have a carbon monoxide detector installed. All multi-unit residences have until January 2, 2013 to comply with the requirement. The legislation also includes maintenance provisions identical to that for smoke detector maintenance in properties that are tenant occupied. For more information, visit: http://www.ca.gov/
What is Carbon Monoxide (CO)?
Carbon monoxide, sometimes called the “silent killer,” is a colorless, odorless and tasteless poison gas that can be fatal when inhaled. It is produced when burning fossil fuels like gasoline, propane, coal, natural gas, oil, charcoal, kerosene, or wood. If you have a fire, you have CO.
Carbon monoxide is also produced by products and equipment powered by internal combustion engines, such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers. Fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and fuel-burning appliances, like furnaces, gas ranges/stoves, water heaters and room heaters produce CO, too.
What Should I Do When My CO Alarm Sounds?•Never ignore a CO alarm! It is warning you of a potentially deadly situation.
•Do not try to find the source of the CO.
•Move everyone outside immediately.
•Call emergency services, the fire department or 911.
•After calling, do a head count to ensure everyone is safely out of the building.
•Do not re-enter the building until emergency responders tell you it is safe.
•If a malfunctioning appliance is the source of the CO, do not operate the appliance until it has been properly serviced by a qualified technician.
How Can I Prevent CO Poisoning?
•Properly equip your home or business with carbon monoxide alarms/detectors, per state requirements and manufacturer’s instruction.
•Have the heating system, vents, chimneys and flues inspected annually by a qualified technician. The inspector should also check your chimneys and flues for any blockages, corrosion, partial and complete disconnections, and loose connections.
•Install and operate appliances according to the manufacturer’s instructions and local building codes.
•Only purchase appliances that have been approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
•Never use a gas stove, oven or clothes dryer to heat your home.
•Never leave your car idling in the garage, even with the door open.
•Never operate a portable generator or any gasoline engine-powered tool in or near an enclosed space. Even with doors and windows open, these spaces can trap CO and allow it to quickly build to lethal levels.
•Never use portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside a building, garage, vehicle or tent, unless specifically designed for use in an enclosed space. Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
•Never burn charcoal inside a building, garage, vehicle, or tent
•Never operate unvented, fuel-burning appliances in any room where people are sleeping.
•Ensure that appliance vents and chimneys are not blocked by tarps or debris when renovating.
What are the Symptoms of CO Poisoning?
Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, you may not realize you are being exposed to dangerous levels of CO. Symptom severity is directly related to both the CO level and the duration of your exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants, and sometimes physicians, can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning for the flu. This can lead to tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high-level CO exposures (like in many cases of generators in residential spaces), victims can quickly become mentally confused, lose muscle control or even die without having first experienced milder symptoms.
Symptoms of mild to moderate poisoning:
•Flu-like symptoms without a fever
•Dizziness
•Slight to throbbing headache
•Shortness of breath
•Nausea and vomiting
•Sleepiness
•Fatigue or weakness
•Disorientation or mental confusion
•Fast heart rate
Symptoms of severe poisoning:
•Serious disorientation and mental confusion
•Loss of muscular coordination
•Convulsions
•Loss of consciousness
•Brain damage
•Heart and lung failure
•Ultimately, death
How are Dangerous Levels of CO Produced?
Any fuel-burning appliance that is malfunctioning or improperly installed can cause CO problems. Vehicles, generators and other combustion engines running in an attached or enclosed garage are very dangerous. A blocked chimney or flue, cracked or loose furnace exchanger, back drafting, changes in air pressure, or operating a grill in an enclosed space can also cause deadly concentrations of CO.
What the Risks Related to CO Exposure?
According to the American Medical Association, carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. On average, 450 people in the United States die each year from CO produced by non-automotive consumer products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that an additional 20,000 people end up in hospital emergency rooms every year to be treated for CO poisoning.
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