Summary of the new European standard EN 50291 relative to domestic CO alarms

20/01/2001 - On February 15, 2001 Europe finally approved a standard relative to domestic CO alarms . This standard stipulates that the release of the alarm has to occur:

• Not before 120 minutes for a concentration of 30ppm
• Between 60 and 90 minutes for a concentration of 50 pmm
• Between 10 and 40 minutes for a concentration of 100 pmm
• Before 3 minutes for a concentration of 300 pmm

Those values makes the European CO alarms much more safer than Americans CO alarms compliant with the UL 2034 standard or British CO alarms compliant with the BSI standard which have to disappear of the European market by 2003.