Lehigh Valley lawmaker’s bill requiring CO detectors in Pa. child care centers passes House committee

A bill that would require carbon monoxide alarms for child care facilities passed the House Health Committee Wednesday.

“It is alarming that there are no statewide carbon monoxide alarm requirements in place for the facilities that care for children,” Rep. Jeanne McNeill of Lehigh County’s 133rd District said in a news release. “Given the invisible signs of carbon monoxide — headaches, dizziness and nausea — many people experience it without being aware that they are suffering from a leak. This can cause permanent health effects and even death for young kids who may not be able to explain or even understand the source of their discomfort. This is a sensible safety precaution that needs to be implemented.”

Approved 17-4, House Bill 494 — introduced by McNeill, a Democrat — would apply specifically to buildings that have potential sources of carbon monoxide. It will go before the House of Representatives for full consideration at the end of April, McNeill told The Morning Call.

“I’m really happy it (went through committee),” McNeill told The Morning Call. “I was a little discouraged and disappointed that there were actually votes against it, because this was concerning children’s health and lives.”

Similar bills have been introduced in the past, but have never passed. In 2014, state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Allegheny, introduced legislation to require detectors in 2014 in child care facilities that have oil or natural gas heating systems or appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage. It passed the Senate unanimously in 2018, 2020 and 2022, but was never acted upon in the state House.

McNeill introduced her bill last year, but said in the release that it “languished in the Health Committee under Republican leadership.”

Its re-introduction comes six months after 25 children and eight employees were sickened at Happy Smiles Learning Center in Allentown by carbon monoxide poisoning.

“In October 2022, a tragic incident occurred right here in an Allentown day care center, forcing more than two dozen kids and the adults who were caring for them to be hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning,” McNeill said in the release. “Passing my bill would help ensure that this never happens to another child or day care provider again.”

An investigation determined the leak was caused by a malfunctioning heating unit and a blocked venting system. The center did not have working carbon monoxide detectors.

Despite the lack of a requirement, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced earlier this month it will give out two models of carbon monoxide detectors for free to all certified child care providers until the end of April.

Carbon monoxide exceeding 70 parts per million can cause headaches, fatigue and nausea, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. At concentrations above 150-200 parts per million, disorientation, unconsciousness and death are possible.

Carbon monoxide poisoning leads to over 400 deaths and roughly 50,000 people visiting the emergency department per year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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