Carbon monoxide is a harmful gas in the air that can cause headaches, fainting and even death without any visible warning signs.

After a carbon monoxide leak in a New York restaurant residents and business owners are being warned against the threat of the harmful gas and as law stands at the minute it is not mandatory that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in all homes and businesses.

After the leak there were twenty seven people taken to hospital to be treated for inhalation and one man later died in hospital.  The authorities’ intervened and they found a leaking water heater pipe in the basement of the restaurant which allowed the poisonous gas to escape.

Fire Chief Jay Delaney recommends that everyone who owns fossil fuel-burning appliances or properties with chimneys buy a carbon monoxide detector for each floor.

"This incident caused a lot of media hype, and I think that's good," Delaney said. "It sends a message to everyone to be on the watch-out for this because it's an odourless gas that can be extremely dangerous."

The laws regarding carbon dioxide varies across the country however many people feel that it needs to be law across the country that all homes, businesses, schools etc. should have detectors.

However all newly constructed homes must have built in carbon monoxide detectors installed; many of these homes are choosing to wire the detector to the electrics instead of relying on batteries.

In December, state legislators passed the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act. The law stipulates that alarms be installed in all multifamily apartments with fossil fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces or attached garages by June 2015. Under the law, landlords failing to install or maintain an alarm would be fined.

Improperly functioning fossil fuel-burning appliances like furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters can produce dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Old vehicles with ineffective exhaust systems can also prove fatal if left sitting in a garage while turned on.