NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
| Office of Information and Public Affairs | Washington, DC 20207 |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2007 Release #08-062 |
CPSC Hotline: (800) 638-2772 |
When Changing Clocks Back to Standard Time, Check Batteries and Age of Alarms
CPSC Recommends Replacing Older Alarms
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Since 1992, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reminded consumers to check smoke alarms and change batteries when they change their clocks, but in that time, many alarms have lost their effectiveness. This year, CPSC wants to remind consumers to replace smoke alarms every ten years and replace carbon monoxide (CO) alarms every five years.
In a national telephone survey of households conducted by the CPSC, 97 percent of homes had at least one smoke alarm. That’s good news, but without fresh batteries, alarms will not work when needed. And the sensors in alarms will degrade and lose effectiveness over time because of environmental contamination and age.
According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports, there were more than 1.6 million fires reported in the United States in 2005. These fires caused about 3,700 civilian deaths and 18,000 injuries. Additionally, from 2002-2004, CPSC estimated a yearly average of 166 deaths from unintentional, non-fire related CO exposure.
“Millions of Americans are without adequate protection from fire and CO because the alarm’s battery is dead or the alarm is too old,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "Alarms don’t last forever, and old ones need to be replaced.”
Consumers need to remain vigilant against carbon monoxide poisoning and fires. CPSC recommends three simple tips to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home:
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Make sure your home is protected with both smoke and CO alarms. Combination smoke/CO alarms are available in the marketplace.
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Test alarms monthly to make sure they are working.
- Once a year, change batteries when you change your clocks.
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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.