Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 23, 2013 09:54 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Frank A. Farry |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Carbon Monoxide Detectors |
| As of January 2010, the Pennsylvania building code requires all newly constructed homes and certain existing homes that have fossil fuel burning heaters or appliances and/or an attached garage to install a carbon monoxide detector. These requirements are similar to code requirements for smoke detectors. In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation that will require apartments that have a fossil fuel burning heater, appliances, and/or an attached garage to be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. In addition, when a home is sold, the seller of the home will be required to disclose if the dwelling has a carbon monoxide alarm through the seller’s disclosure form. To date, over 30 states, including most of our neighboring states, have enacted some type of carbon monoxide detector requirement, and similar legislation passed the Senate 49-0 last session. Exposure to carbon monoxide is a major problem in Pennsylvania. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pennsylvania is a national leader in fatalities as a result of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Often times these incidents occur in multi-family dwellings such as apartment buildings. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poison deaths in the nation. It is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas that kills about 500 people and sends more than 20,000 to emergency rooms annually, according to the CDC. The combined medical cost of carbon monoxide accidents, lost productivity, and lost wages is estimated to be $8.8 billion a year. Equipping every home with two carbon monoxide alarms would cut that cost by 93 percent. The good news is that most carbon monoxide-related fatalities and poisonings can be prevented through the simple use of a carbon monoxide alarm. An alarm is the only safe way to detect this silent killer. Carbon monoxide alarms are relatively inexpensive. You can purchase one for as little as $20, and they typically have a useful life of 7 years. Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. Thank you in advance for your consideration. |
Introduced as HB968