The data came from 37 U.S. and Canadian utilities responding to more than 14,000 CO detector calls between October 1994 and June 1995. The findings, published in February 1996, were identical to those in suburban Chicago, with about 80 percent of the alarm activations occurring at levels at or below nine ppm. Results from this study suggest that alarm standards concerning activation levels should be changed to eliminate a large fraction of nuisance alarms where there is no immediate life threatening situations. Separately, GRI is analyzing the cost effectiveness of currently designed CO detectors. Initial analysis shows that the public costs in increased emergency services associated with response to alarms, which low-level activations have dominated, could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
False alarms create a financial burden for response personnel and ultimately for consumers.
Increase the standard s lower alarm threshold to eliminate low-level activations, which can be caused by a variety of common occurrences. Clarify manufacture requirements for marking and labeling detectors and for instructing consumers on actions that should be taken when an alarm is begun. If symptoms of CO poisoning exist call 911 or the Fire Department. If you feel ill, ventilate the area. Call for medical assistance from a neighbor s home if symptoms are severe.