The Colorado House of Representatives is about to pass a bill requiring the installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors to be installed in all new construction.  According to the Colorado House Democrats Blog:

House Bill 1091 requires all new homes and apartments to install CO detectors. It also requires installation of detectors in new construction of single or multi-family dwellings, including rental properties. Prior to renting, the bill states that a landlord must replace or repair existing alarms, and permits a local government to set more stringent requirements for the installation of alarms.

While I tend to be fairly liberal politically, this legislation does give me some hesitation.  It does seem to to be an intrusion into our private lives.  (There is an appeal to libertarian thinking….)  That said, according to the Cherry Creek News:

The CDC reports about 500 Americans die each year due to accidental CO poisoning, and another 20,000 end up in the emergency room. Children are especially vulnerable. Although CO poisoning can happen anytime, most incidents happen during the winter months, mainly due to an increased use of fuel-burning appliances.

Six people have died in Colorado since Thanksgiving from Carbon Monoxide poisoning and fifty people have been treated in Colorado emergency rooms.

Last weekend, on Valentine’s Day, our good friends called us in a panic – they needed us to take their dogs for the night.  Their CO detector had gone off – they had just installed it a week before.  The fire department had determined that their stove was leaking gas and they had to leave their house for the night.  Thankfully, they had their CO detector installed or they could have been another statistic….

This morning, I installed a second carbon monoxide detector in our house.  It was our choice and we don’t have the Colorado legislature mandating – yet.  But, maybe it is a good thing to mandate this.  It is relatively inexpensive, it will save lives including a few people who knowingly accept the risk and other unknowing beneficiaries of the pending legislation.