Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that can be produced by many appliances and devices in the home. Homes should be equipped with carbon monoxide alarms to detect this gas for four reasons:
- Carbon monoxide can cause sickness, coma, or death when it accumulates in enclosed spaces. In fact, more than 400 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning. Many of their lives could have been saved with a detector. The early warning symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as headache and nausea, mimic those of less serious ailments. Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous for infants in utero, newborns and young children because they process carbon monoxide differently and may not be able to tell adults of their symptoms. A carbon monoxide alarm is critical to detecting the presence of the gas before symptoms become life-threatening.
- None of our five senses can detect this gas. Only a detector can do that.
- Many states require carbon monoxide alarms. As of March 2018, 27 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in dwellings. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, these states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia (via adoption of the International Residential Code), Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
- Any fuel-burning appliance can potentially produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This includes automobiles, gas stoves, charcoal grills, fireplaces and woodstoves, gas dryers and gas heaters.
