A proposed law that would require residential property owners in Massachusetts to install carbon monoxide detectors has drawn considerable support from legislators at the State House (above) and from Realtor and other industry groups.
A law that would require residential property owners in Massachusetts to install carbon monoxide detectors is close to becoming reality.
The bill, known as Nicole’s Law, was passed by the Senate in July and was recently sent to a third reading by the House, all but guaranteeing its passage.
Real estate industry leaders have expressed support for the law, which is aimed at preventing deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, and Rep. Vinny M. deMacedo, R-Plymouth, was filed months after 7-year-old Nicole Garofalo died when her Plymouth home filled with carbon monoxide.
Breathing the odorless colorless gas, which is emitted by furnaces, water heaters, space heaters and even clothes dryers and stoves, can be lethal.
In addition to receiving support from state fire officials and firefighters, the bill has been backed by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and the Home Builders Association of Massachusetts.
Testifying at a public hearing for the bill earlier this year, Greg Vasil, GBREB’s chief executive officer, said, “The board would like to support the concept of carbon monoxide monitors as a public safety tool in residential housing.”
However, Vasil urged lawmakers to consider a longer period for compliance with any new law. Under the Senate bill that was approved, owners of residential property would be required to install carbon monoxide detectors within 180 days, or six months, of the law’s passage. Property owners who own more than 500 units or who plan to hardwire an alarm system could appeal to the local fire chief for an extension of six more months to comply.
‘Unreliable’ Devices
Even though the measure has drawn support from a variety of groups, the Small Property Owners Association feels that carbon monoxide detectors are often unreliable and have been known to cause “false alarms.”
Lenore Monello Schloming, president of the organization, said the law is a “knee-jerk” reaction from legislators, who should instead be focusing on educating people about the dangers and sources of the lethal gas. Carbon monoxide detectors should not be a substitute for checking hot water heaters and furnaces regularly to ensure they are functioning properly, she said.
“We believe the people need to be educated and not rely on these mechanical devices that are unreliable,” Schloming said.
SPOA also maintains that more has to be done to reduce fire-related deaths, which are more common than deaths caused from carbon monoxide.
More than 200 people in the United States die each year from carbon monoxide produced by fuel-burning appliances, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. By comparison, 3,190 were killed in home fires last year, according to the Quincy-based National Fire Protection Association.
“We really have to do a lot more in lowering fire deaths than carbon monoxide deaths,” Schloming said.
Prolonged periods of exposure to carbon monoxide can cause headaches, dizziness and sleepiness. People who are continuously exposed to the gas may vomit and have heart palpitations and could die.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and deaths, experts recommend that fuel-burning appliances are installed by professionals and that heating systems and chimneys be inspected and serviced annually.
Eight other states, including Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island, have laws that require carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings, according to Wendy Gifford, director of external affairs for Invensys, a company that manufactures smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
The push to introduce the legislation in Massachusetts began after Nicole Garofalo died in January when carbon monoxide built up in her home from a heating exhaust vent that was blocked by snow during a blizzard.
“There are some people out there who say that they don’t want to spend the money to install the detectors. Well, let me ask you this Â… Is $25 too much to pay for the lives of your children, your parents, your husband or wife, your loved ones? Is the price of a dinner too much to pay to prevent a loved on from falling victim to carbon monoxide? My guess is that the answer to these questions is no, it is not too much to pay,” Murray was quoted as saying to her colleagues on the Senate floor.
In a separate action, the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters passed an emergency regulation in July that would require plumbers who are installing side-wall venting appliances or equipment in one- and two-family dwellings to also install carbon monoxide detectors near the equipment. The plumbing board is working on amending the regulation.
