Make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working
Carbon monoxide poisoning was recently ruled as the cause of death of two people on Feb. 26 in Washington Township; deaths that took place a little more than a month after three people in Butler died Jan. 7 on College Street from the same cause.
Carbon monoxide is gas that has no odor, taste or color. Burning fuels, including gas, wood, propane or charcoal, make carbon monoxide. Appliances and engines that aren't well vented can cause the gas to build up to dangerous levels. A tightly enclosed space makes the buildup worse, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Pennsylvania legislature passed the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act in December 2013, which required carbon monoxide detectors to be installed and maintained in residential buildings.
Although the law says homes must have carbon monoxide detectors, residents should still make sure those detectors are functioning every once in a while, to avoid the same fate that has already killed several people in Butler County this year. These detector checks can take place on a routine just like the smoke detectors — when the clocks change for daylight saving time, check your carbon monoxide detectors.
Most carbon monoxide detectors can be tested the same way as smoke detectors, by pressing the button to listen for a beep. Depending on the type of carbon monoxide detector, it may take 9-volt or AA batteries, which are available at most grocery stores. Carbon monoxide detectors themselves are also available at department stores, and they can be installed with relative ease.
Because carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, it is equally and potentially even more important to have a detector in your home as it is to have a smoke detector.
We don’t want to lose more people in the county to deaths that can potentially be prevented by the simple check or installation of a carbon monoxide detector. So press the button on yours today. It never hurts to check.
— ET
