New Law To Require Carbon Monoxide Alarms In Most Homes

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — It's a "silent killer" that causes an average of 400 deaths each year in America, but now a new law is trying to change that.

The passage of California Senate Bill 183 will require most homes to have a carbon monoxide alarm by July 1.

CBS2's Jay Jackson reports that the carbon monoxide poisoning deaths of Doris Hopson and her 62-year-old daughter, Yvonne, sent shockwaves through their Willowbrook community that were felt all the way up to Sacramento.

Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Don Kunitomi says these detectors will be required in any home up for sale or transfer with a fireplace, gas stove or attached garage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that carbon monoxide poisoning sends 20,000 to the emergency room each year -- numbers Kunitomi says will dramatically decrease if every state adopts a law like California.

By the year 2013, every home (including apartment complexes and condos) will be required to have the alarms.