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Klobuchar, Nelson Announce Bill to Prevent Carbon Monoxide-Related Deaths

Legislation Would Enact Tougher Safety Standards

June 9, 2009

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation today to combat deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning.  The Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act, modeled after successful similar legislation in Minnesota, would require the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to enforce stronger standards to protect people against the deadly dangers of carbon monoxide.

Senators Klobuchar and Nelson serve on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Commission.  Klobuchar and Nelson introduced similar legislation during the 110th Congress.

“When someone dies from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, it’s not just a private tragedy,” said Klobuchar.  “It’s a public tragedy, too.  Because we know that, so often, it could have been prevented with better safeguards.”

“This is about saving lives,” said Nelson.  “We can’t afford to wait on government regulators to act.  We need to do something now.”  

Known as “the silent killer,” carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas.  The deadly fumes result from inefficient combustion, and they can originate from family furnaces, water heaters or gas stoves.  The gas can be trapped inside by a blocked chimney or flue.  Other threats include running a car engine in an attached garage, burning charcoal in the house or operating a gas-powered generator in a confined space.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 500 people die each year in America due to accidental CO poisoning.  Another 15,000 people end up in the emergency room.  Children are especially vulnerable.  According to the CDC, 73 Minnesotans died of accidental CO poisoning between 1999 and 2004.

Although CO poisoning can happen anytime, most accidents happen during the winter months, mainly due to an increased use of fuel-burning appliances.

At an event late last year, Klobuchar spoke with Cheryl Burt, whose two sons (ages 16 months and 4 years) died from CO poisoning due to a malfunctioning furnace.  Burt, her oldest son and her husband were also poisoned.  The incident happened in January 1996 at the family’s home in Kimball, near St. Cloud.  Burt now lives in Rochester. 

The Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act includes two key provisions:

First, it would strengthen the safety standards for carbon monoxide alarms.  Currently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has voluntary standards, set by Underwriters Laboratories.  The legislation would make these safety standards mandatory for all carbon monoxide alarms sold in the U.S.

Second, the legislation would require that the CPSC complete its review on whether portable generators sold in the U.S. can be equipped with safety mechanisms that, among other things, detect the level of carbon monoxide in the surrounding area and automatically turn off the portable generator before the level of CO reaches a threatening level.

In recent years, CO deaths caused by generators have been on the increase.  Last year, two men and a boy died in a Minnesota home from CO poisoning due to the use of a portable generator.

Minnesota has a state law that requires all homes to have working CO alarms.  Experts recommend installing them on each floor and near sleeping areas.  A recent survey found that half of homes nationwide do not have CO alarms. 


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