Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act
Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. CO poisoning is
often misdiagnosed or under-detected. Its symptoms mimic the flu, with headache, nausea and dizziness being the
most commonly reported symptoms. CO is a silent killer – you cannot see it, smell it or taste it. The only safe way
to detect this gas in your home is with a working CO alarm. CO poisoning can happen whenever a fuel-burning
appliance such as a furnace, water heater, clothes dryer, stove, oven or generator is used improperly or malfunctions.
Other common household sources of CO include fireplaces and vehicles left running in attached garages. When the
gas builds up inside a home, it can quickly lead to illness or even death.
Each year there are over 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency room visits as a result of CO poisoning. (Centers
for Disease Control)
The Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (RCOPPA):
 Acknowledges the value of CO alarm and detection devices by promoting their purchase and installation in
residential home and dwellings nationwide.
 Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt the American National Standards
Institute/Underwriters Laboratories (ANSI/UL) Standard 2034, Standard for Single and Multiple Station Carbon
Monoxide Alarms, and UL 2075, Standard for Gas and Vapor Detectors and Sensors, as a mandatory consumer
product safety rules.
 Places importance on effective devices that meet rigorous safety standards. Consumers should have the
confidence that their properly installed and maintained CO alarm will function appropriately in the presence of
dangerous CO levels, while avoiding unwanted nuisance alarming that may otherwise cause them to doubt the
accuracy of the alarm.
 Encourages states to require residential CO detection devices and establishes a federal grant program in the
amount of $10M total over a period of five years to provide assistance to these states to carry out a CO education
program. The grants would help pay for the development of training materials and for buying and installing
alarms in schools and the homes of low-income and elderly people. State laws and education programs are
proving successful in reducing CO-related injuries and deaths.
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Poisoning hospital injuries account for $2.3 billion of the medical costs and $1.5 billion of the work loss
cost. Poisoning fatalities account for $397 million in medical costs, $48.2 billion in work loss costs, and
$102 billion in quality of life costs. (Children’s Safety Network)
The combined medical cost of CO accidents, lost productivity and lost wages amounts to $8.8 billion a
year. (Carbon Monoxide Health and Safety Association)
RCOPPA is supported by the following groups:
March 2012
YOUNG CHILDREN: According to the Mayo
Clinic, 51% of all poisoning cases reported involve
children six years old and under. In 1999, nearly
2,200 children under the age of six were accidentally
poisoned by CO. (American Association of Poison
Control Centers)
ELDERLY: 25% of the CO poisoning deaths from
home-related products in 2001 were adults 65 years
and older. Older adults more frequently have preexisting health conditions that affect the heart, lungs
and circulatory system. (Consumer Product Safety
Commission)
What Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act does not do:
 It does not create a federal mandate requiring CO detectors to be installed in homes or other residential
dwellings.
 It does not preempt the authority of state legislatures or local governments in seeking to provide the flexibility to
legislate based on the unique needs of the residents of each state.
UNDERSTANDING THE STANDARDS FOR CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTION DEVICES
AND WHY THEY SHOULD BE MANDATED
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What are the standards for CO alarms and detectors? Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 2034 and UL 2075 are
the independent third-party test and performance standards to which U.S. CO alarms and detectors are
voluntarily tested and listed. These American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recognized standards combine
input from medical experts, approval bodies such as Underwriters Laboratories, government agencies such as the
Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Fire Protection Association, users, and manufacturers. This
group of interested parties is referred to as the Standards Technical Panel (STP)
What is the purpose of the UL 2034 and UL 2075 standards? The purpose of UL 2034 and UL 2075 is to
describe and set forth an orderly process for ensuring CO alarm and detector designs perform to critical
performance requirements. For example, the UL standards cover electrical safety and mechanical robustness of
design for CO alarms and detectors and also require tests of the devices at various CO levels to ensure they
activate according to the requirements set forth in the standards.
Why is it important to consumers that such standards exist? CO alarms and detectors continuously monitor
the home’s environment. They are designed to sound before a healthy adult would feel the effects of CO
poisoning. The only safe way to detect this odorless, colorless and invisible gas in a home is with a working CO
alarm or detector. Consumers should have confidence that their properly installed and maintained CO detection
devices will function appropriately in the presence of dangerous CO levels, while avoiding unwanted nuisance
alarming that may otherwise cause them to doubt the accuracy of the alarm. The UL 2034 and UL 2075
standards accomplish these goals.
How have the UL 2034 and 2075 standards evolved? UL 2034was first published in 1992, and UL 2075 was
first published in 2004. Both have has since gone through several revisions. Each revision is intended to
strengthen the respective standard, and each revision is supported by years of field test data. All currently
manufactured CO alarms and detectors approved by UL or another Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory
must meet these updated standards. The STP periodically reviews the UL 2034 and UL2075 in order to keep
pace with technological advances and past lessons learned. In accordance with ANSI rules, any member of the
STP can recommend a revision in order to improve product performance or reliability. This revision process has
led to the creation of CO sensing technology that is more advanced, stable and reliable than prior generations.
Why should the federal government set mandatory federal Consumer Product Safety Standards for CO
detection devices? Today, it is voluntary for a manufacturer to test and certify its CO alarms or detectors to the
UL 2034 or UL 2075 standard. While most states with laws or codes requiring residential CO detection mandate
that such detection devices meet UL 2034 or UL 2075, there is no uniform requirement. By setting mandatory
Consumer Product Safety Standards, the federal government would provide a consistent standard of protection
for all consumers in the U.S. This has been done in the past involving such standards for garage doors, bike
helmets, all terrain vehicles toys, cribs and pool drains.
STATES WITH ENACTED LAWS OR CODES REQUIRING CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
March 2012
To date, 36 states as well as Puerto Rico and Guam have enacted laws requiring CO detection in residential
dwellings, and more states are likely to adopt similar legislation or codes in the coming years. In order to avoid
confusion among regulators, consumers and the industry, state lawmakers need a consistent standard to define
what constitutes an “approved” detection device. Without such a reference, conflicting regulations may arise,
which would directly run counter to one of the CPSC’s guiding objectives “to develop uniform safety standards
for consumer products and to minimize conflicting state and local regulations.”