When severe weather strikes, like last winter's ice storm, Kentuckians rely on portable generators for power. But dozens of people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by these generators. Technology to make portable generators safer has been tested, but it won't be manufactured on these generators anytime soon.
Like thousands of other Kentuckians, Greg Wilson of Richmond used a portable generator for the first time during January's catastrophic ice storm.
His neighbor lent him the generator. Wilson says he knows there are safety concerns associated with generators, but at the time, his main worry was restoring power to his home.
"I couldn't tell you if there was label on it or not. I didn't pay any attention to that," Wilson said.
Wilson kept the generator away from his house. He knew that engine exhaust was dangerous, thanks to previous experience working with boat motors.
Greg Wilson, his wife, three sons, and dog were lucky that he had some idea of the fatal poisoning that can occur from inhaling carbon monoxide produced by portable generators.
During the ice storm, 11 Kentuckians died of carbon monoxide poisoning, known in shorthand as "CO." According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent federal agency, CO deaths from generators is a "spiking" problem.
As extreme weather conditions push more people to buy generators, more deaths result.
All gasoline powered internal combustion engines, such as cars and generators, create carbon monoxide. The solution could be a sensor that will shut off the machine - in this case, the generator - when too much CO accumulates.
That's what Senator Bill Nelson of Florida supports. In 2007, Nelson proposed a bill that would require warning labels and a CO sensor and shutoff device on portable generators.
"There's a device that's easily attached. I'm hopeful we'll get the administration to support when the previous administration did not support this safety device" Nelson stated.
Nelson's bill expired in committee. He has since partnered with Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota on the Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act. That bill does not require a shutoff device. Instead, it mandates warning labels and promotes in- home carbon monoxide alarms.
A sensor and shutoff device seems like the idiot-proof solution to accidental carbon monoxide poisonings. Engineers at Underwriters Laboratories in Illinois and the National Fire Protection Association in Boston say such a device would be "terrific" - if only the technology existed.
"It would be wonderful. We would like that to happen," said John Drengenberg at Underwriters Laboratories.
"But the fact is technology just isn't at the point where we could say there could be some foolproof carbon monoxide detector that could shut down the equipment should somebody bring it into their home," he added.
People do bring generators into their home, despite prominent warning labels on some brands of generators. Sales staff at hardware stores are trained to warn homeowners.
Tony Smith sold many generators during the January ice storm at the Lowes store in Richmond.
"When we sell a generator, we always try to go over all the safety issues with the customer But usually when we get to the safety issues, they don't want to listen to that part of it. They want to load it up and get home," Smith said.
Generators run from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Some carbon monoxide deaths result from homeowners who put the generator in their garage or on the porch, because they're worried about their investment being stolen.
Homeowners also worry rain, wind, or ice could damage the generator.
It is precisely those unstable weather conditions that would make a shutoff device impossible, says Drengenberg at Underwriters Laboratories.
"You never have very calm conditions. There's no way that a generator could be built where you could put an alarm in it and have it shut down the generator. If you did something like that, the generator would be rendered ineffective, even if it's used properly," Drengenberg said.
In 2006, engineers from the Consumer Product Safety Commission demonstrated a "Remote Carbon Monoxide Sensing Automatic Shut Off Device." The shutoff device, which used wireless technology, worked in tests. However, the report cautions the device was not tried in severe weather conditions.
Joe Martyak, the acting director of public affairs at the Commission, said in a recent statement that their scientists would not support a sensor and shutoff device because it would interfere with the operation of the generator.
"The device would either have to interrupt the fuel supply or the ignition circuitry, neither of which are consumer friendly modifications. If you have a CO detection shutdown system that detects levels of CO in the vicinity of a generator, while there are certain advantages, disadvantages of that approach are that the CO sensor may impair the ability of the generator to run when properly operated outdoors, if nonetheless the exhaust somehow accumulates or circulates around the generator," Martyak stated.
The best way to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators is to operate the machines far away from windows, doors, and vents on homes and buildings.
The latest legislation from Senators Nelson and Klobuchar would mandate a pictogram on portable generators. It would read, "Outdoor Use Only: Emits Poisonous Gas." People hurrying to restore power to their homes may or may not heed those warnings. At this time, no agency or manufacturer is working on a carbon monoxide sensor and shutoff device.
