New research from an Ohio University professor shows that half of all the carbon monoxide detectors in Athens County “fail” when tested.
Beginning in the fall of 2009, Timothy Ryan, of OU’s Department of Social and Public Health conducted his research on carbon monoxide detectors through voluntary response and concluded the project in the spring of last year.
Testing was conducted mostly on Athens County residents who wanted their carbon monoxide detectors checked, and Ryan found that 57 percent of detectors failed.
Detectors can fail in two ways. The first is a false alarm — when the alarm goes off with no carbon monoxide present. The other is when alarms do not sound in dangerous levels of the gas.
“The quality of some (detectors) are questionable,” said John Wharton of Ohio Realty, an off-campus housing provider.
As far as Wharton knows they have not had problems with carbon monoxide poisoning in off campus housing but acknowledges that he has problems with false alarms.
Realtors are not required to put new detectors in until the first of each year, making it hard to know how many of the houses still maintain the detectors and if they need to be replaced, Wharton said.
“The Public Health profession needs to educate people that carbon monoxide detectors need to be replaced every five to seven years,” Ryan said.
wh092010@ohiou.edu
