Carbon monoxide poisoning is a preventable tragedy and with the introduction of Amanda's Law, hopefully a thing of the past. On February 22, 2010, Amanda's Law goes into effect, making mandatory the presence of Carbon Monoxide Detectors in any home where combustible appliances or systems are present or in the case of an attached garage.
The story of young Amanda really strikes home for me. As a young girl in my early twenties, I was camping in very cold weather and we took a kerosene heater into the tent. Pain and discomfort are fortunate mechanisms God put in place to tell us something is wrong. I kept getting very lightheaded and dizzy and when I stepped outside the tent I would feel better. The decision was made to get indoors and that was the end of my symptoms. I shudder to think about what would have happened had I fallen asleep and not suffered those symptoms.
Previously, only homes built or bought after July 30th, 2002, were required to have the devices in place.
The bill's justification reads: "This legislation would remove the construction and sale provisions, leaving it a new requirement that all homes regardless of construction or sale date be outfitted with a carbon monoxide detector." Until now when an older home was purchased, the device didn't even have to be in place until the date of sale. Home sellers often left a new packaged device on the counter for the buyer if they didn't have one in place before. Later legislation made mandatory carbon monoxide detectors in a multi-family home at the time of listing. This is a huge step in the right direction.
Gas or oil-fired appliances such as furnaces, ovens and hot water heaters can emit the odorless gas causing flu-like symptoms. However, if the homes' occupants are asleep death can occur without any warning whatsoever. The death of 16 year old Amanda Hansen in January of 2009 while at a sleepover, sparked the legislation. Passing the law was one of the smartest things to come out of Albany as of late
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Any home built after January 1, 2008 must have the detector hard-wired right into the homes' electrical system. Older homes may use a battery-operated or plug-in model. Home improvement stores, such as Lowe's, carry a wide variety of carbon monoxide detectors, some of which come in combination with smoke alarms. they come in a variety of prices as well.
Having one in place is no guarantee that it will save your life. We all know the drill regarding our smoke detectors; New Year's Day or the day we turn the clocks ahead or back is always a good time to check the batteries and test the device. As far as CO2 Detectors ccording to the Consumer Protection Agency "consumers should follow the manufacturer's instructions. Using a test button tests whether the circuitry is operating correctly, not the accuracy of the sensor. Alarms have a recommended replacement age, which can be obtained from the product literature or from the manufacturer."
Law or no law, a working carbon monoxide and working smoke detector should be part of any homes' inventory. Don't wait for a horror story to get the message.
