Effective January 1st, 2008 a carbon monxide alarm must be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area within a specified dwelling in new construction per Maryland House Bill 401. We encourage our clients to install them in any household new or old because this odorless, tasteless, colorless posion is undetectable without a carbon monoxide detection device and it can be deadly to you and your loved ones. Don't wait get one installed today!

• Carbon monoxide poisioning is the most commonly encountered and pervasive poision in our daily enviroments. It is responsible for more recent deaths than any other single poision.
• CO poisioning can occur in any enviroment where fossil fuels are combusted and not vented properly.
• In the State of Maryland from the years 2003-2006 there were 105 deaths as a result of CO poisioning.
• Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating, making it difficult for people to detect.
• Carbon monoxide is a significantly toxic gas with poisoning being the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries.
• Symptoms of mild poisoning include headaches, vertigo, and flu like symptons, larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous sytem, heart and even death. 
• Carbon monoxide can also have severe effects on the fetus of a pregnant woman.

Prevention remains a vital public health issue, requiring public education on the safe operation of appliances, heaters, fireplaces, and internal-combustion engines, as well as increased emphasis on the installation of carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide alarms are usually installed in homes around heaters and other equipment. If a high level of CO is detected, the device sounds an alarm, giving people in the area a chance to ventilate the area or safely leave the building. Unlike smoke detectors they do not need to be placed near ceiling level. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that "carbon monoxide detectors are as important to home safety as smoke detectors are," and recommends that each home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector.

The devices, which retail for $30-$100 and are widely available, can either be battery-operated or AC powered (with or without a battery backup). Since CO is colorless and odorless (unlike smoke from a fire), detection in a home environment is impossible without such a warning device.

Information complied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning