Headline from this past week:  Ex-Judge, Wife May Have Died Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas, and when breathed in sufficient quantities, can cause illness in the form of headaches, dizziness, vomiting and chest pain.  In large enough quantities, as was apparently the case this past week, CO can be deadly.

Common sources of CO include cars or trucks in attached garages, along with gas fired furnaces, water heaters, ovens, cooktops, charcoal grills, portable heaters, and fireplaces.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that each home have at least one installed (not necessarily near ceiling level, as is required with smoke alarms), and preferably one on each level of the home. 

Do you have a CO alarm?  Do know how old it is? Most CO alarms have a 5 - 7 years lifespan.  If you don’t know its age, chances are if the outer case is yellowing, it is time for it to be replaced.

New CO alarms are now available that have lifetime batteries, so there's no more searching at 2am to find which one needs a new 9 volt. 

Home sales require that both smoke alarms and CO alarms are installed at the time of sale.  But just having the alarm installed is not a guarantee that it is working.  Alarms should be tested monthly by depressing the test button, and if the alarm doesn’t sound, then the batteries should be replaced.  When the batteries reach a state of low voltage, the alarms are designed to chirp intermittently, indicating that it’s time for battery replacement. To really ensure that your alarm is working as designed, CO test kits can also be purchased where alarms are sold.