An Evaluation of an Engineering Control to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisonings of Individuals on and Around Houseboats

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dunn, Kevin H. ; Earnest, Gary S. ; Hall, Ronald M. ; McCammon, Jane B. ; McCleery, Robert E.
• Description:
  From 1990 to 2000, a total of 111 carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings occurred on Lake Powell near the Arizona and Utah border. Seventy-four of the poisonings occurred on houseboats, and 64 were attributable to generator exhaust alone. Seven of the 74 houseboat-related CO poisonings resulted in death. Although many of the reported CO poisonings occurred to members of the general public, some poisonings involved workers performing houseboat maintenance. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health evaluated an engineering control retrofitted to a houseboat gasoline-powered generator to reduce the hazard of CO poisoning from the exhaust. The control consisted of a water separator and a 17-foot exhaust stack that extended 9 feet above the upper deck of the houseboat. When compared to a houseboat having no engineering controls, study results showed that the exhaust stack provides a dramatically safer environment to individuals on or near the houseboat. CO concentrations were reduced by 10 times or more at numerous locations on the houseboat. Average CO concentrations near the rear swim deck of the houseboat, an area where occupants frequently congregate, were reduced from an average of 606.6 ppm to 2.85 ppm, a reduction greater than 99%. CO concentrations were also reduced on the upper deck of the houseboat. Hazardous CO concentration in the confined area beneath the near swim deck were eliminated. Based on the results of this study, it is clear that houseboats having gasoline-powered generators that have been outfitted from the factory or retrofitted with an exhaust stack that extends well above the upper deck of the boat will greatly reduce the hazard of CO poisoning. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Vehicle Emissions Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  Accident-prevention Acute-toxicity Air-contamination Air-sampling Author Keywords: Carbon Monoxide Combustion Combustion-engines Combustion-gases Combustion-products Engineering Control Exhaust-gases Exhaust-systems Exhaust Stack Exposure-limits Houseboats Injury-prevention Poisoning Respiratory-gases

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• 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:
  361-369
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022404
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2002 May/Jun; 63(3):361-369
• Contact Point Address:
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment ; Research Tools and Approaches: Intervention Effectiveness Research
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:85a0e079d94da5eb26fc09833ce7f5c53e42e23c4a1c82129a033b87c2337cdab0c629dec15a13f301dae96dbfc3c6ce28474041ad9d501044e1e919b22522a1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199195/cdc_199195_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 553.06 KB ]