Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 61
CHAPTER 129
Relative to Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.
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Filed with
Secretary of State
September 18, 2007.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 61, Lowenthal.
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.
This measure would declare and recognize the 2nd week of November as Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week and urges the State Fire Marshal, local fire departments, public schools, and all other interested persons or organizations to initiate awareness activities during that week to alert the general public to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and ways to reduce the risk factors in their homes.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
YES WHEREAS, Carbon monoxide is produced by furnaces, common household appliances, vehicles, generators, fireplaces, and other systems that are powered by the burning of fuel that includes, but is not limited to, natural gas, propane, gasoline, oil, and wood; and
WHEREAS, Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless poison gas that can be fatal when inhaled, and it is known as “the silent killer” because it cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted; and
WHEREAS, Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The Journal of the American Medical Association has determined that carbon monoxide claims more than 2,000 lives each year; and
WHEREAS, The American Association of Poison Control Centers has determined that there are 40,000 emergency room visits from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, and 20,000 health-related injuries each year; and
WHEREAS, The Mayo Clinic has determined that 51 percent of all carbon monoxide poisoning cases reported involve children six years of age and under; and
WHEREAS, The Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined that older adults more frequently have preexisting health conditions that affect the heart, lungs, and circulatory system, and the presence of one or more of these conditions lowers a victim’s tolerance and increases the risk of a fatal carbon monoxide exposure; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, 25 percent of the carbon monoxide poisoning deaths from home-related products were adults 65 years of age and older; and
WHEREAS, A January 2006 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that, for individuals who had been involved in carbon monoxide poisoning and survived, there was a three-fold increase in coronary artery disease seven years later when compared to patients who were not poisoned; and
WHEREAS, The Carbon Monoxide Health and Safety Association has determined that the combined medical cost of carbon monoxide accidents, lost productivity, and lost wages amounts to $8.8 billion per year; and
WHEREAS, The State Air Resources Board has determined that, on average, between 30 and 40 avoidable deaths occur in California each year due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as between 175 and 700 avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and between hundreds and thousands of avoidable illnesses; and
WHEREAS, Public education and awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning are critical to protecting residents of California from the dangers of this deadly gas and the risk factors in the home; and
WHEREAS, Carbon monoxide alarms have been determined to be the most effective way to detect carbon monoxide and there is a dramatic correlation between carbon monoxide alarm ordinances in cities and lower death rates from carbon monoxide; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby recognizes and declares the second week of November as Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week and urges the State Fire Marshal, local fire departments, public schools, and all other interested persons or organizations to initiate awareness activities during that week to alert the general public to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and ways to reduce the risk factors in their homes; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the State Fire Marshal and to the author for appropriate distribution.