House passes Matheson bill to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Jim Matheson’s legislation to increase the use of life-saving carbon monoxide alarms received overwhelming support in the House today.

The bill is HR 1796 – the Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act.

“Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in this country,” said Matheson.  “There is a simple way to lower that number—installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in homes and residences.”

Matheson’s bill sets up a grant program—administered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)—for the states and cities, if they enact a rule or law requiring all new dwelling units and apartment buildings to have carbon monoxide alarms. States with greater than average fatalities from CO poisoning would be given priority.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, CO poisoning kills 500 people annually in the U.S. and sends an additional 20,000 to the hospital.  The University of Utah reports that in 2007, Utah experienced 273 cases of CO poisoning and 22 deaths.