Portable power generators can be a significant help during major natural disasters, when the power grid is cut off and it is necessary to power medical equipment, refrigerators and electric heaters with their help.
Portable power generators can release as much carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) into the atmosphere as 450 cars. This poisonous gas causes an average of 70 deaths and thousands of serious injuries in the United States each year, making these devices one of the most dangerous consumer products. Climate change, which is causing more and more hurricanes to intensify, and outdated power grid infrastructure, which is making power outages longer, are contributing to an increase in the number of times people have to rely on power generators, experts warn.
Federal regulatory agencies recognized the danger posed by portable power generators twenty years ago. However, the implementation of standards that would force generator companies to take steps to reduce toxic emissions is still hampered by provisions in the law that allow generator manufacturers to “regulate themselves.”
Electric generator manufacturers initially refused to respond to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) demands to reduce the amount of exhaust gases emitted by these devices, and then agreed to “voluntarily” install sensors on them that automatically turn off generators when carbon monoxide levels are elevated. But not all manufacturers have implemented this innovation yet, and sensors that do not always function correctly are not enough to ensure the safety of people, experts say. According to the CPSC, over the past 20 years, about 1,300 people have died from gas poisoning from power generators, and the largest number of fatalities occurred during power outages due to weather conditions.