Many Colorado residents have died at Lake Powell

By Jim Mack

Statistics released in 2004 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) show that an alarming number of victims who have died from carbon monoxide poisoning on houseboats at Lake Powell were Colorado residents.

Arguably the most publicized carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning incident in history occurred at Lake Powell in August, 2000 when Dillon and Logan Dixey, two young brothers from Parker, Colorado, drowned from exposure to CO while swimming behind a Stardust Cruiser.Generator exhaust from the rear-venting houseboat built up to lethal levels under the rear swim deck where the boys were playing. There were no warnings and several authorities said the boys never had a chance.

Overall, there have been 14 confirmed CO deaths on Lake Powell . Six of those people, nearly half of them, were Colorado residents.

“That's a surprising figure considering Lake Powell is in Arizona and Utah,” said Jane McCammon, Director of the NIOSH Denver Field Office. “It just goes to show that you don't have to live in the particular states where the popular lakes are to be affected by this. Boaters from every state, including Colorado, need to be informed about this deadly problem. If you are going on a houseboat, or any boat for that matter, you should research it to find out where the CO is emitted, and completely avoid those areas. People should also be aware that CO is odorless, colorless and tasteless making it impossible to detect without proper equipment. Get CO monitors and place warning stickers in prominent places on the boat so people will know the dangers. Also, each person on the boat should know the warning signs so they can recognize it if someone is affected by CO poisoning.”

According to the United States Coast Guard, symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, dizziness, fatigue and nausea. If someone feels ill, the Coast Guard recommends to tell someone quickly and get to fresh air immediately.

NIOSH said that 23 Colorado residents in all have been poisoned on Lake Powell, with 10 of those people being poisoned seriously enough to knock them unconscious while they were outside, not inside, the boat cabin. Such outdoor poisonings were virtually unrecognized as a serious problem prior to Dillon and Logan's death. Although fixing the actual boats is the best way to solve the problem, public awareness is a step in the right direction.

“For those who are aware and educated about CO poisoning on boats, it is important to help educate others so we never have to watch another family deal with the pain of losing a loved one unnecessarily,” said McCammon. “These incidents can be avoided.”

According to Char O'bergh, Public Information Officer at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA) in Page, Arizona , high concentrations of CO can cause a loss of consciousness in as little as two breaths. When this happens, the victim sinks and drowns. O'bergh said that to the general public, CO has been recognized as a danger in enclosed spaces. She said most people know not to leave a car running in a closed garage area but to most, the possibility that it could take place in open air is many times totally unknown.

The Dixey boys' incident along with many others has prompted many positive changes in the boat and generator industries. In February 2004, Westerbeke Corporation, one of the world's l eading producers of gasoline-and diesel-powered generators for the marine market, unveiled a new series of gasoline-fueled generators which, for the first time, reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions to a safe level. Westerbeke said that compared with typical carbureted and conventional EFI (electronically fuel-injected) generators, Westerbeke's “Safe-COTM” generators eliminate more than 99% of t hose life-threatening gases.

Legislation has also produced changes across the country. AB 2222, groundbreaking legislation by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) to make boaters aware of the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning behind boats, was signed Sept. 17, 2004 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in California. The law is the first of its kind in the country.

AB 2222 will require the state Department of Boating and Waterways and the Department of Motor Vehicles to work together to get warning information out to boaters in their boat registration renewal. The bill also requires that when any boat is sold in California, new or used, that warning stickers be affixed to the boat, so both the driver and anyone behind the boat can clearly see the warning. AB 2222 also makes it an infraction to operate a boat whenever anyone is teak-surfing ( when a person holds a boat's swim platform while it's moving in order to surf or skid behind the boat), body-surfing or occupying the swim platform or swim ladder when the engine is running. Finally, the bill calls upon boat manufacturers to invest in research and development to find ways to clean up these engines and re-design their boats to reduce the risk.

“Carbon monoxide emissions from boats have claimed too many lives already, including many children who were out having fun with their friends and family,” said Assemblyman Koretz. “Each of these senseless, tragic deaths was preventable. Boaters must become aware that they should never be near the back of the boat when the engine is running, not even for a minute.”

Teak surfing was also banned December, 2004 by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Aside from the obvious danger of propeller injury, the practice can be fatal as swimmers breathe in dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Also in December, 2004, the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission passed a new law regarding CO safety. This legislation now makes it illegal to operate a motorboat at any speed with a person or persons sitting, riding or hanging on a swim platform or swim ladder attached to the motorboat ; or to operate a motorboat at any speed when towing a person on water skies or other  devices using a tow rope of 20 feet or less.

According to Sumerset Houseboats, the world leader in custom houseboats, beginning with the 2002 model year, all Sumerset Houseboats are manufactured with the Sumerset Tall Stack Exhaust System as a standard feature. Sumerset said that over the years, it has been determined there is a potential danger of CO gas build up under the rear deck as well as on the back deck itself. Located in the engine compartment is a water/gas separator. This separator takes the water overboard and the CO gases up a tube and through the rear deck roof and out high above the roofline. This method dramatically reduces the potential for CO poisoning. NIOSH has tested and investigated the stack system and determined that the tall stack is the most effective control for generator exhaust on houseboats evaluated to date. NIOSH firmly believes CO poisonings are avoidable, and will continue collaborative efforts to address the best control device to eliminate this deadly hazard.

“We're so impressed with the results that we are making it the standard exhaust system on every Sumerset Houseboat for the 2002 model year forward,” said Sumerset's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lyn Turpin. “Every houseboat has rear flag poles, we've turned them into an exhaust system, and therefore we can assure customer safety from carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Finally, in April, 2004, authorities at Lake Havasu installed CO monitors on both sides of the Bridgewater Channel just in time for Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, May 28, the channel was closed for 90 minutes and an additional three hours on May 29 due to all of the CO monitors going off alerting boaters and City officials to unsafe levels of CO.

According to McCammon, boat-related CO poisonings remain underpublicized , yet every year people continue to die. McCammon said on a national scale, we continue to lack in the areas of recognition, reporting and knowledge. She said improvements are being made to save lives, but there is much more to be done.

For more information regarding CO safety on houseboats, please call 303-841-2420, or visit www.doubleangel.org