California schools could soon be required to install carbon monoxide detectors.
“It is common sense to protect our children’s safety and ensure they have a healthy learning environment,” Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, said in introducing the legislation.
Weber’s Assembly Bill 56, which is still being refined, would require that carbon monoxide detectors be installed at all new and renovated schools starting Jan. 1.
The measure proposes that detectors be placed near each furnace.
She introduced the measure after hearing about an incident at an elementary school in Atlanta. There, 43 students and 10 adults were sickened and had to be taken to the hospital. Firefighters discovered a carbon monoxide leak in the school’s furnace.
Weber does not have a cost estimate. Commercial detectors, depending on features, can cost between $15 and $30.
The legislation would cover both public and private schools.
The state has been gradually pushing residents and landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors. Under state law, landlords must now provide the detectors in most homes, apartments and condominiums.
Weber pointed out that carbon monoxide is considered a “silent killer” because it is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas.
Weber noted that every year more than 400 people did in the U.S. from carbon monoxide poisoning. Another 4,000 are hospitalized.
Currently, only Connecticut and Maryland have adopted similar laws. Legislation is pending in Georgia and New Jersey, according to information provided by Weber’s office.