BOSTON (WHDH) - If you live in the Bay State, it could be time to replace your expiring carbon monoxide detector.
First Alert — trusted brand in fire safety — along with health and safety officials have issued a reminder to the public to replace CO alarms as they approach expiration.
In 2006, the Commonwealth enacted a requirement for CO alarms in nearly all types of dwellings. However, alarms only last up to seven years, so alarms installed seven years ago are likely now expiring, according to First Alert.
First Alert says all residents should check their alarms to ensure that they are not nearing expiration.
“Enactment of CO legislation in 2006 marked a turning point for protection for Massachusetts residents, but with busy lives and other priorities, it’s easy to take life-saving measures like installing CO alarms for granted once they’ve been implemented,” said Tarsila Wey, director of marketing for First Alert. “The anniversary of its enactment is a timely reminder of the importance of protecting what matters most and an ideal opportunity for us to celebrate the lives that have been saved over the past 14 years by making safety a top priority.”
Known as the “silent killer,” CO is a colorless and odorless gas that is impossible to detect without a sensing device.
“If you can’t think of the last time you installed a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, chances are, it’s time to replace your old ones,” Wey added.
More than 50,000 emergency room visits and over 430 deaths are attributed to CO poisoning in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC.
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