HARRISBURG – Senator David G. Argall (R-29) applauded the governor’s signature of legislation that establishes the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act.
Senate Bill 607, sponsored by Senator Pat Browne (R-16), requires carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in most residential properties that burn fossil fuels as a heating source or have an attached garage. The law also requires a disclosure regarding the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in the statement about a property during the time of sale for residential properties.
Argall, a co-sponsor of the proposal, said this issue hits home to many Pennsylvanians.
“Many of us know local people who have tragically lost their lives through carbon monoxide poisoning,” Argall said.
The committee Argall chairs, the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, unanimously approved the bill in March.
Nationally, carbon monoxide poisoning results in nearly 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency room visits each year. This odorless, tasteless and colorless gas is produced by several household appliances, including water heaters, cooking ranges, wood-burning stoves, fuel-burning space heaters, furnaces, as well as automobile engines. When trapped in a closed space, like an idling car in a garage, the gas becomes dangerous, yet often undetected by humans.
Governor Corbett signed the bill into law on Wednesday, December 18. The new law takes effect immediately.