TAIPEI -- The Consumers' Foundation called on the government yesterday to mandate the installation of carbon monoxide detectors at restaurants using propane gas or charcoal to protect consumers from inhaling dangerous carbon monoxide gases.

The call came a day after 27 people were poisoned by carbon monoxide at a hot pot restaurant in Lungtan Township, Taoyuan County, that used charcoal heaters.

Alarmed by the incident, the foundation's chairman, Cheng Jen-hung, and secretary-general, Yu Kai-hsiung, visited a barbecue restaurant in Taipei City Saturday together with officials from the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) to measure carbon monoxide emissions from the charcoal burning stove.

After a stove was lit and the charcoal was allowed to burn for one minute, the carbon monoxide concentration in the air reached 1,291 ppm near the stove.

According to bureau technician Wang Huan-lung, people can experience a reduced ability to work if they are exposed to an environment where the carbon monoxide concentration reaches 50 ppm for 1.5-4 hours. They can get a severe headache if the concentration reaches 200 ppm and feel weak and dizzy if the concentration increases to 400 ppm, Wang said.

A concentration of 1,200 ppm can cause the heartbeat rate to increase and become irregular, and a concentration of 2,000 ppm or higher can result in a loss of consciousness and death, Wang said, adding that humans die within minutes if the concentration reaches 5,000 ppm or above.

Cheng advised consumers to leave immediately if they feel uncomfortable while eating at a restaurant and not wait until they became too weak to move.