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Installation of Carbon Monoxide Detectors.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends:
(1) the adoption of the report (January 26, 1998) from the Interim Functional Lead for Building;
(2) that enabling legislation be sought from the Province of Ontario which would permit the City of Toronto to enact by-laws requiring the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in residential occupancies within Toronto;
(3) that the draft by-law, which is being developed by the City Solicitor for consideration by Council, should be enacted by Council prior to receipt of the enabling legislation from the Province;
(4) that the Chair of the Urban Environment and Development Committee and the Interim Functional Lead for Building be requested to contact the Ontario Buildings Branch of the Ministry of Housing to stress the importance of dealing with this issue expeditiously;
(5) that all fuel supply companies:
(a) be contacted to determine how they can be of assistance in ensuring that carbon monoxide detectors are in place; and
(b) including Consumers' Gas, be requested to provide carbon monoxide detectors to each of their customers;
(6) that the Province of Ontario be requested to review product standards to determine the advisability of providing carbon monoxide detectors as a feature of "combustion equipment".
(7) that notice be provided to all building permit applicants of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide leaks; and
(8) that all City staff who meet people in their homes be enlisted in the program to educate people with respect to carbon monoxide detectors during the course of their visits.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having:
(a) requested the City Solicitor to prepare a draft by-law requiring the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all residential occupancies in the City of Toronto, and to submit such draft by-law, together with an explanatory report thereon, directly to Council for consideration with this matter at its meeting scheduled to be held on March 4, 1998;
(b) requested the Interim Functional Lead for Building and the Fire Chief, in consultation with the Mayor of Toronto, to explore the potential for providing carbon monoxide detectors at reduced costs to residential occupancies in the City of Toronto; and, further, requested the Interim Functional Lead for Purchasing to explore the feasibility of purchasing carbon monoxide detectors in bulk, to be sold at cost to the public through City facilities, e.g., fire halls, libraries, community centres, ambulance stations, environment days and all municipal facilities; and to submit a report(s) thereon directly to Council for consideration with this matter at its meeting scheduled to be held on March 4, 1998;
(c) that the Interim Functional Lead for Building be requested to submit a report directly to Council for consideration with this matter at its meeting scheduled to be held on March 4, 1998, on the value of requesting the Province of Ontario to enact a Building Code for existing structures; and
(d) that the Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit a report directly to Council for consideration with this matter at its meeting scheduled to be held on March 4, 1998, regarding the potential cost for the proposed public information campaign, the criteria for determining "needy" recipients, and the anticipated number of such households.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee submits the following report (January 26, 1998) from the Interim Functional Lead for Building:
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Not applicable.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1) the Provincial Government be requested to amend the Ontario Building Code to require installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all residential occupancies where there are gas or solid fuel-burning appliances;
(2) in conjunction with the Toronto Fire Department, the Ontario Fire Marshall be requested to co-ordinate a public information campaign about carbon monoxide; and
(3) information be placed on the City of Toronto=s Internet site including links to other relevant sites.
Council Reference/Background/History:
The Ontario Building Code requires installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in all new houses where there is a wood-burning appliance such as a fireplace or wood stove. However, this provision has been in place for approximately four years and, since the Code is not retroactive, it does not apply to houses built prior to 1994.
Carbon monoxide detectors are required to be:
(1) installed near the ceiling of each room in which there is a solid fuel-burning appliance;
(2) equipped with an alarm that is audible within bedrooms, when the intervening doors are closed;
(3) permanently connected to an electrical circuit without any disconnect switch; and
(4) conforming to standards referenced in the Code.
As part of the national energy conservation program, air leakage into houses is being reduced by improved construction techniques and by the caulking and sealing of existing houses. There is additional concern that increased airtightness may also increase CO-related problems.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, which is odourless, colourless and tasteless. It is produced by incomplete combustion of organic materials. Incomplete combustion may be due to malfunctioning appliances or simply when there is insufficient oxygen for complete combustion. In other words, when areas are not adequately vented. In an industrialized world, it is generally impossible to avoid some exposure to CO.
Most sources of combustion are not 100 percent efficient. During normal combustion, carbon joins with oxygen to form a harmless gas called carbon dioxide. However, when there is a lack of oxygen to ensure complete combustion of the burning fuel, only one atom of oxygen links up with carbon, forming carbon monoxide gas.
The following is a list of potential sources where CO may be produced and reach dangerous levels if appropriate steps are not taken:
Sources of Carbon Monoxide
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Unvented Appliances and Areas |
Vented Appliances |
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Gas-fired ranges and ovens
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Wood-burning stoves
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Space heaters
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Gas dryers
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Charcoal grilles
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Fireplaces
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Attached garages
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Gas or oil furnaces
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Tents
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Gas water heaters
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Swimming pool heaters
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Gas wall heaters
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Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in North America. In the United States, the Consumer Safety Commission puts the number of CO home fatalities at an average of 290 per year. Public Health authorities report that every year, a total of 1,500 persons die from accidental exposure to high concentrations of CO. In response to this problem, a number of cities, including Chicago, Albany and St. Louis, have passed mandatory CO detector legislation and have embarked on an extensive public education campaign. The last week in September, 1998, has been declared by President Clinton to be "Carbon Monoxide Safety Awareness Week".
How Does CO Affect the Human Body?
CO reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. When it is inhaled, the toxic gas enters the bloodstream and attaches itself to the oxygen-carrying pigment (haemoglobin) in the red blood cells, forming a toxic compound called carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).
Exposure periods to CO and the amount of COHb are the two critical factors which determine the severity of what happens next. CO is not easily removed from the body by our natural defences and can reach lethal concentrations in a very short period of time. Low COHb levels (10 percent) result in symptoms commonly mistaken for the flu or the common cold. At medium levels (30 percent) the symptoms become more severe: dizziness, mental confusion, severe headaches and nausea. At high levels (50 percent) there may be unconsciousness or death.
Conclusions:
This report is an outline of initiatives that can be taken by the City of Toronto to deal with carbon monoxide related problems. Appropriate regulatory changes and a well-defined and executed public education initiative can be quite effective in preventing accidental deaths due to CO poisoning.
I have discussed this issue with the Fire Chief, Al Speed. He is very supportive of the initiative, especially with the public education component. He has indicated that in conjunction with the Ontario Fire Marshall=s office, a CO detector campaign may be launched which may also include the sale and distribution of free detectors to the needy.
Contact Name:
Mr. Yaman Uzumeri, Interim Functional Lead, Building, 395-7513.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, also having had before it the following communications from Mr. Tony O'Donohue, President, Environmental Probe Ltd.:
(i) (January 13, 1998) recommending that a new by-law be introduced to require that all buildings (especially residential buildings) which use fossil fuels be equipped with approved carbon monoxide detectors; advising that this by-law would be similar to the requirements for smoke detectors; and that the standard CO detector costs about $35.00 and can mean the difference between life and death for any unfortunate person or family caught in a building where this odourless and silent killer has escaped from a combustion system; and
(ii) (February 7, 1998) expressing agreement with the recommendations embodied in the report dated January 26, 1998, from the Interim Functional Lead for Building; and providing additional suggestions with respect to carbon monoxide detectors.
The following Members of Council appeared before the Urban Environment and Development Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:
- Councillor Michael Walker, North Toronto;
- Councillor John Adams, Toronto Midtown; and
- Councillor Brian Ashton, Scarborough Bluffs.
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