Generator makers claim automatic shut-off switches can prevent most carbon monoxide poisoning deaths, but the CPSC says the industry standard falls short of what’s necessary to reduce fatalities.
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Portable generators can save lives after major storms by powering medical equipment, heaters and refrigerators when the grid collapses. But desperate residents who rely on the machines to keep their families safe sometimes end up poisoning them
Portable generators are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, and as climate change leads to more power outages, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself.