 (Copy)Topic: Carbon Monoxide
detectors
Question: What are the requirements
for carbon monoxide detectors?
Answer: Illinois requires carbon
monoxide alarms effective January 1, 2007.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is odorless,
colorless, and tasteless. It's produced when any fossil fuel,
including natural gas, is burned. When fossil fuels do not burn
properly, CO can build up and cause sickness and even death. Carbon
monoxide kills about 200 people in the U.S. every year.
Homeowners, landlords and building
owners of any occupancy that have rooms used for people to sleep in
are required to install carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.
Illinois law requires the owner of
the building to install carbon monoxide detectors within 15 feet of
all rooms used for sleeping. This law applies only to those
occupancies that use fossil fuel to cook heat or produce hot water,
or is connected to an enclosed garage.
The carbon monoxide detector may be
battery operated, plug-in with battery back-up or wired into the
home's AC power with a secondary battery back-up.
It must bear the label of a
nationally recognized testing laboratory: and must comply with the
most recent standards of the Underwriters Laboratories or the
Canadian Standard Association.
Safety measures:
-
Never heat your home with
your gas range or oven
-
Never burn charcoal inside
your home or garage
-
Always open the chimney
flue when you use your fireplace
-
Never run a combustion
engine, such as your car, lawn mower or snow blower, in
enclosed areas
Install a CO detector:
-
Install a CO detector
within 15' of any room used for sleeping in accordance with
the manufactures instructions.
-
Do not install a CO
detector near your kitchen or garage or in a room with a
furnace.
-
If your CO detector goes
off and you feel ill, leave the house and call 911. If you
do not feel ill, push your detector's reset button. If the
alarm goes off again after a few minutes, open the windows
leave the house and call 911.
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 Recognize the symptoms of CO
poisoning:
-
Dizziness, nausea, headache
and coughing
-
Irregular heartbeat
-
Pale skin with cherry red
lips and ear tips
Know what to do if you suspect CO
poisoning:
[Text copied from file received
from Lincoln Fire Department Chief Mark Miller]
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