Considered the “silent killer,” CO is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels from items like portable generators, vehicles, power washers as well as malfunctioning fireplaces, furnaces and water heaters. In high concentration, carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms including headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pains, loss of muscle control, confusion, unconsciousness and ultimately death.  Although CO poisoning can be fatal to anyone, children and pets are particularly vulnerable since it only takes a small amount to make a child gravely ill. 
 
Carbon monoxide is completely preventable. Yet, it is responsible for 100,000 emergency room visits each year and is the second most common cause of non-medicinal poisoning death in the United States. The only safe way to know if CO is present in a building is with a working alarm, which costs as little as $20 and can be found at any home improvement store.
 
I will once again be reintroducing several bills that I first authored a decade ago that would require carbon monoxide detectors be placed in various structures, including in buildings were a vulnerable population lives or visits.  It’s important to point out that these bills have had bipartisan support with both co-sponsorship (Haywood, Santarsiero, Hughes, Kearney, Comitta, Schwank, Tartaglione, Costa, Laughlin, J. Ward, Muth, Street, Kane, L. Williams and Farry) as well as being voted on by the full Senate during several legislative sessions. Additionally, a similar bill modeled after my SB 205 passed the House of Representatives last session. Please consider signing onto this lifesaving legislation.