Come New Year’s Day, carbon monoxide detectors will not
only be a good idea for homes in Alaska, it will be law. A
law passed by Alaska’s state legislature earlier this year
will go into effect on Jan. 1 that will require a CO
detector in just about every residence in the state.
The law was passed after a CO poisoning last December
resulted in the death of an entire family in Bear Valley,
Alaska. David and Rita Arts and their three children all
died while they were sleeping of CO poisoning.
A similar law went into
effect Nov. 1 in New York City that required CO
detector in all city residences.
Under the Alaska law, a CO alarm is required in a single
family house, duplex, apartment, dormitory or group home
that has a carbon-based fuel appliance, an attached garage
or carport, or is adjacent to a parking space.
The colorless, odorless gas can leak into a home from a
number of different sources, including running automobiles
in a garage, improperly vented hot-water heaters, neglected
gas stoves, soot buildup around stove burners, wood stoves
with some kind of inversion or backdraft and damaged gas
dryer exhaust pipes.
The Anchorage Daily News reports businesses and
communities throughout the state have been holding fund-
raising drives to help fund CO detectors for low-income
families.
A violation of the new law will result in an initial
warning, followed by a class B misdemeanor if still not
complied.
