WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Hoeven (R-ND) announced that their bipartisan legislation to help prevent carbon monoxide-related deaths, the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act, has passed the Senate. This legislation, which is named for two young brothers from Kimball, Minnesota who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, will empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to encourage states to adopt tougher standards to help ensure carbon monoxide detectors are safe and reliable.

“With commonsense safeguards in place, we can address the danger of accidental death by carbon monoxide poisoning,” Klobuchar said. “Now that the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act has passed the Senate, I look forward to seeing it signed into law.”

“Carbon monoxide is an unseen danger that has caused tragedy for too many individuals and families in North Dakota and across the nation,” Hoeven said. “This bipartisan legislation bolsters states’ efforts to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Increasing awareness and encouraging the use of carbon monoxide detectors will help to prevent these accidents.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, at least 430 people in the U.S. die each year from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and approximately 50,000 people are forced to seek medical attention for accidental CO poisoning. Especially dangerous is the risk of poisoning associated with running an automobile engine in an attached garage or burning charcoal in the house.

Currently, the CPSC has voluntary standards, set by Underwriters Laboratories. The Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act would authorize the CPSC to provide resources to states to encourage states to require residential CO detection devices and establish a federal grant program to help states carry out a CO education program.

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