NBC News aired a story Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 about how children at an Atlanta school were taken to the hospital Dec. 3 after their school was filled with the colorless, odorless and tasteless gas known as carbon monoxide.
That school reportedly doesn’t have carbon monoxide detectors.
In 2011, a Baltimore City school was shut down twice in one week after children and adults were reportedly exposed to the gas. Following that incident, carbon monoxide detectors were expected to be installed in all Baltimore City schools.
Maryland and Connecticut are the only two states that mandate carbon monoxide detectors in schools, according to news reports. This seems like a no-brainer.
Carbon monoxide detectors should be as basic as smoke detectors to protect people from this toxic gas. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include headaches and nausea.
Installing carbon monoxide detectors may cost schools money up front, but they can save lives in the long run. I am hopeful that school officials in the remaining 48 states will install carbon monoxide detectors.