According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 400 deaths and approximately 20,000 emergency room visits as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning each year

WASHINGTON--U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today released the below statement following reporting by the Washington Post that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has taken steps to curtail the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s efforts to compel makers of portable generators to make devices that emit lower levels of carbon monoxide that can cause poisoning. Klobuchar has worked to protect families from carbon monoxide poisoning, including introducing a bill that would allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to provide support for public safety education and the installment of safe and reliable carbon monoxide detectors. The bill—the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act—was named after two young brothers from Kimball, MN, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 1996.

“Carbon monoxide is a ‘silent killer’ that claims the lives of far too many each year without warning,” Senator Klobuchar said. “We should be working to raise awareness about the danger of this poisonous gas and take commonsense steps to ensure machines – like the generators Minnesotans often use during storms—are safe to have around our families. The report from the Washington Post leads me to believe the Administration is doing the opposite.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 400 deaths and approximately 20,000 emergency room visits as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning each year and the highest percentage of carbon monoxide exposures occurs during the winter months of November, December, January, and February. Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen whenever a fuel-burning appliance is used improperly or malfunctions; other sources include fireplaces and vehicles left running in attached garages. When gas builds up in a building, it can quickly lead to illness or even death.

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