HARRISBURG – Legislation has been reintroduced to protect children from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning incidents at child care facilities across PA. Under House Bill 494, buildings that house child care facilities with possible sources of carbon monoxide would be required to have one or more carbon monoxide alarms, depending on the size of the building. According to the bill’s sponsor, Lehigh County Rep. Jeanne McNeill, there are currently no statewide carbon monoxide alarm requirements in place and hundreds of Americans die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, with an estimated 50,000 a year are sent to the emergency room from accidental exposure. Carbon monoxide has no smell, no color, and typically gives symptoms like headaches and nausea that children and their caretakers may not immediately associate with carbon monoxide poisoning. The bill has more than two dozen bipartisan co-sponsors and is awaiting consideration in the PA House Health Committee.
REP. JEANNE MCNEILL