[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54478-54480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26355]



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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Carbon Monoxide Detectors; Public Hearing

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Commission will conduct a public hearing on January 23 and 
24, 1996, to receive scientific, medical, and other technical 
information about carbon monoxide (CO) detectors and a voluntary 
standard for CO detectors. The Commission seeks written submissions and 
oral presentations from individuals, associations, or firms with 
substantiated information or technical comments on these topics. The 
Commission will use the information obtained from this hearing to 
evaluate an existing voluntary standard for CO detectors and to develop 
information for consumers about the reliability of CO detectors.

DATES: The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on January 23, 1996, and 
will conclude on January 24, 1996. Written comments and requests to 
make oral presentations must be received by the Office of the Secretary 
not later than January 9, 1996. Persons desiring to make oral 
presentations at this hearing must submit a written abstract of their 
presentations not later than January 9, 1996. The Commission reserves 
the right to limit the number of persons who testify and the duration 
of their testimony.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be in room 420 of the East-West Towers 
Building, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland. Written comments, 
requests to make oral presentations, and abstracts of oral 
presentations should be captioned ``Carbon Monoxide Detectors'' and 
mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207, or delivered to that office, room 
502, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the purpose or 
subject matter of the hearing, call or write Elizabeth Leland, 
Directorate for Economic Analysis, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 
Washington, D.C. 20207; telephone (301) 504-0962, extension 1321. For 
information about the schedule for submission of written comments, 
requests to make oral presentations, and submission of abstracts of 
oral presentations, call or write Rockelle Hammond, Office of the 
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207; 

[[Page 54479]]
telephone (301) 504-0800, extension 1232

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, 
odorless gas, produced by the incomplete combustion of solid, liquid, 
and gaseous fuels. Household appliances fueled with gas, oil, kerosene, 
or wood may produce CO.
    Breathing CO causes symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness 
to nausea, vomiting, and disorientation. At very high levels, CO can 
cause loss of consciousness and death. In 1992, the last year for which 
complete data are available, an estimated 212 deaths resulted from 
carbon monoxide poisoning. In 1994, there were an estimated 3,900 
incidents involving one or more persons treated in hospital emergency 
rooms for CO poisoning.

Standard for CO Detectors

    In the early 1990's CO detectors became available for use in the 
home. In 1992, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) published a 
standard, UL 2034, for CO detectors. The Commission staff worked with 
UL to develop this standard. Since publication of UL 2034, the 
Commission has encouraged homeowners to install CO detectors certified 
to meet the standard, and has urged organizations which publish model 
building codes to adopt provisions requiring the installation of CO 
detectors in new residential buildings. The Commission estimates that 
between seven and eight million CO detectors are now in use.

Unexplained CO Detector Alarms

    Early in 1994, the Commission began receiving information about 
incidents in which fire fighters or utility employees responded to 
calls after a CO detector sounded an alarm but were unable to detect 
the presence of CO or a harmful level of CO.
    In June, 1994, the Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
the American Gas Association, the Gas Research Institute, and the 
National Association of State Fire Marshals co-sponsored a CO Detector 
Workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to raise and find ways to 
resolve questions about why CO detectors would sound an alarm when CO 
either could not be detected or could be detected at a level which is 
not harmful. One outgrowth of the workshop was the formation of non-
governmental task forces to address the following specific issues:
     Technical guidance for response personnel;
     Field and laboratory testing;
     Consumer and professional education;
     Standards evaluation;
     Action levels; and
     Data gathering and coordination.
    The task forces are expected to complete their work in December, 
1995, and file final reports in March, 1996.

Chicago Experience

    While the task forces have been working, additional information 
from widespread use of CO detectors has become available from the city 
of Chicago, Illinois. In 1993, the city of Chicago adopted an ordinance 
requiring installation of CO detectors bearing the mark of a nationally 
recognized testing laboratory in all homes heated by a fossil fuel-
burning furnace or appliance. This ordinance became effective on 
October 1, 1994.
    Fire departments in Chicago reported that between October 1 and 
December 31, 1994, they responded to approximately 8,600 calls after CO 
detectors sounded alarms. In the majority of cases, the responding fire 
department found no CO present, or a level of CO that was not harmful 
to health. In December, 1994, UL proposed a series of revisions to its 
voluntary standard for CO detectors to lessen the likelihood of alarm 
activations when CO is not present at a detectable or harmful level. 
Portions of the revised standard became effective on June 1, 1995; the 
remainder of the standard became effective on October 1, 1995.

Unresolved Questions

    Several questions about CO detectors and the UL standard for CO 
detectors are still unresolved. These questions include, but are not 
limited to:
     What is the appropriate scope and purpose of a voluntary 
standard for CO detectors?
     What are the effects of exposure to CO, including exposure 
at low levels, to healthy individuals and to individuals who might be 
especially susceptible to the effects of CO?
     What are the anticipated ``normal'' levels of CO in the 
ambient air inside and outside the home?
     What factors should determine the mandatory activation and 
mandatory resistance level of CO for CO detectors; what level of CO 
should activate a detector's alarm; at what level of CO should a CO 
detector resist activation of the alarm?
     What is the relative reliability of the various CO sensor 
technologies now available?

Request for Information

    To obtain information relevant to these questions, the Commission 
will conduct a public hearing on January 23 and 24, 1996. The 
Commission solicits written submissions and oral presentations of 
scientific, medical, and technical information, documented studies, and 
analyses from all interested parties on the following topics:

I. Health Effects

    A. Health effects of exposure to CO, including exposure at low 
levels, on healthy individuals and individuals who might be especially 
susceptible to the effects of CO.
    B. Medical opinion about mandatory activation levels of CO for CO 
detector alarms.
    C. Medical opinion concerning early warning signals in addition to 
activation of CO detector alarms.

II. Analysis of Unexplained Alarm Activation

    A. Data and analyses related to unexplained CO detector alarm 
activation experienced in Chicago during 1994, or in other locations in 
the United States.
    B. Analyses of unexplained activations of CO detector alarms 
experienced in other countries.

III. Expected Levels of CO

    A. Expected levels of CO in a ``typical'' home.
    B. Expected levels of ambient CO in outside air in various 
locations in the United States: on ``usual'' days; in ``rush hour'' 
periods; during temperature inversions.

IV. CO Detector Standards

    CO detector standards issued by governments outside the United 
States, or by international standards organizations.

V. Human Factors Issues

    A. Information relating to the effective communication of a warning 
signal and an alarm; information relating to a consumer's ability to 
distinguish different levels of urgency--e.g., an early warning as 
opposed to an alarm.
    B. The effect of unexplained alarms on consumer attentiveness to 
alarms, particularly CO detector alarms.
    C. The effect of consistency:
    1. in instructions for installation and use of CO detectors.
    2. in warning and alarm sounds for various models of CO detectors.
    D. The effectiveness of labeling to influence user behavior.

VI. Needs of Responders to Alarms from CO Detectors

    A. Collected information on the extent to which responders in the 
fire services and gas utility companies around the 

[[Page 54480]]
country are equipped with appropriate instruments for measuring CO in 
homes.
    B. Collected information on the extent to which educational 
programs for responders have been developed and implemented around the 
country.
    C. Collected information about the impact on responders of CO 
detector alarm activations around the country.

VII. Needs of Consumers

    A. Numbers of calls received by hotlines operated by manufacturers 
of CO detectors.
    B. Manufacturers' procedures for responding to hotline calls, 
especially those involving unexplained activations.
    Written comments and requests to make oral presentations must be 
received by the Office of the Secretary not later than January 9, 1996. 
Persons desiring to make oral presentations at the hearing must submit 
an abstract of their presentations by January 9, 1996. Abstracts must 
include the author's affiliation with, or employment or sponsorship by, 
any professional organization, government agency, or business firm. All 
data analyses and studies should include substantiation and citations.
    The Commission will establish time limits for all presentations, 
and may impose further limitations on presentations to avoid 
duplication. At the conclusion of each oral presentation, the 
Commissioners and selected staff members may question speakers.

    Dated: October 18, 1995.
Sadye E. Dunn,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 95-26355 Filed 10-23-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P