Carbon monoxide detectors required by law
June 21, 2011
California residents will be required to install carbon monoxide detectors into their single-family homes beginning July 1 to protect against poisoning and accidental death from the odorless gas. [MercuryNews]
About 30 to 40 Californians die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning; more than 400 die each year throughout the U.S.
The detectors will alert residents to dangerous accumulations of the gas before it can cause serious injury or death.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, confusion, and irritability. Advanced symptoms include vomiting, loss of consciousness, brain damage and death.
The law, written state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, aims to protect residents from carbon monoxide gases escaping from appliances that burn gas, wood or coal.
Multifamily dwellings such as apartment buildings or condominiums have until the Jan. 13, 2013, to comply with the new law.
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