Advocates Demand Stronger Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards from U.S. Safety Commission

Today, Earthjustice, on behalf of the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association (NCOAA), submitted a petition to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), calling for stronger safety standards to protect families from the hidden dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure.

The current voluntary standards for CO alarms are insufficient to safeguard public health. A significant flaw in these standards is that alarms are not triggered until carbon monoxide levels become life-threatening, leaving people vulnerable to lower concentrations of the gas that can still cause serious and permanent harm, including increased risks of cardiovascular harm, stroke, and developmental harm.

“Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that you can’t see or smell, and the alarms people use today aren’t doing enough to keep people safe,” said Earthjustice Attorney Lillian Zhou. “We’re asking CPSC to step in and require better alarms that protect people from health-harming low levels of carbon monoxide.”

The petition asks for lower alarm setpoints, more accurate displays of CO levels, better alarm signals to ensure people understand there is an emergency and how to react, and reliable batteries so that alarms are powered over their operational lifetime.

“Carbon monoxide is a silent predator — creeping into homes, building up unnoticed, and poisoning families as they sleep, work, and live their daily lives,” said Charon McNabb, President and founder of NCOAA. “We are calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to act now — to require smarter, safer CO alarms that alert us before this toxic threat can silently rob us of our health, our futures, or our loved ones.”

Chronic exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide — concentrations of 30 ppm (parts per million) and lower — can cause significant adverse health effects, including increased risks of congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, low birth weight, and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. These effects are particularly dangerous for vulnerable populations like the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.