An Evaluation of Conditions That May Affect the Performance of Houseboat Exhaust Stacks in Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisonings from Generators

Details

• Personal Author:
  Earnest, Gary S. ; Feng, H. Amy ; Hall, Ronald M. ; Hammond, Duane R.
• Description:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers evaluated two exhaust stack designs for reducing carbon monoxide (CO) exposures from gasoline-powered generator exhaust on houseboats. Tests were conducted (a) after dark, (b) in high-temperature and high-humidity environments, (c) during temperature inversions, (d) under various generator loads, and (e) at different houseboat trim angles. Two different designs of houseboat exhaust stacks were evaluated and compared with the side-exhaust configuration, which is standard on many houseboats. The two designs were flagpole and vertical stack. Both exhaust stacks performed dramatically better than the standard water level, side-exhaust configuration. The highest mean CO concentrations on the upper and lower decks of the houseboat with the vertical exhaust stack were 27 ppm and 17 ppm. The highest mean CO concentrations on the upper and lower decks of the houseboat with the modified flagpole stack were 5 ppm and 2 ppm. These findings are much lower than the 67 ppm and 341 ppm for the highest mean CO concentrations found on the upper and lower decks of houseboats having the usual side-exhausted configuration. The NIOSH evaluation also indicated that high-temperature and high-humidity levels, temperature inversions, generator loading, and houseboat trim angles had little effect on the exhaust stack performance. It also demonstrated the importance of proper design and installation of exhaust stacks to ensure that all exhaust gases are released through the stack. Based on the results of this work, NIOSH investigators continue to recommend that houseboat manufacturers, rental companies, and owners retrofit their gasoline-powered generators with exhaust stacks to reduce the hazard of CO poisoning and death to individuals on or near the houseboat. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Engineering Environmental Exposure Environmental Health Hazardous Substances Humidity Occupational Health Poisoning Safety Temperature Vehicle Emissions Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  Engineering-controls Environmental-exposure Environmental-factors Exhaust-gases Exhaust-systems Exhaust-ventilation Health-hazards Poison-control Poison-gases Temperature-effects
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  308-316
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20030307
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2006 Jun; 3(6):308-316
• Contact Point Address:
  Division of Applied Research and Technology, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/NIH/DHHS, 4676 Columbia Parkway MS-R5, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  ahz0@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2a0750f3a6688a4603c8716f593d2fad935f8f25e29edf6e8f0191f41d3b79c97d5e4558b5ea43f62bd585bfefc3852daf6d076eb3c24eec6d8cdf2197570ea2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191005/cdc_191005_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB ]