Carbon Monoxide Information

[Alyssa Jean]

There is a rather good article on carbon monoxide safety at the following address.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/carbon_monoxide_alert.htm

[K7MXE]

I see in the state of Washington they will require you to have a
placard in your boat warning of carbon monoxide. You will get
a free one when you buy new stickers. Nice handout at the
license office as well. Don't know about other states but I got
my sticker today in Tacoma, Auditors office and they let me do
the 08 license at the same time..

Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa

[Sea Wolf]

David-

This is an excellent article, very well written and full of important information.

Pascoe can be a bit of an alarmist when discussing some boat issues, but what he says here should be taken for litteral truth by even the most dedicated skeptic!

One point he misses, probably because he is in Florida where boat heaters are outnumbered by air conditioners 25 to 1 , is the danger posed by cabin heaters.

Propane, diesel, wood, coal--all combustion based heaters burn fuel and produce carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which itself is dangerous if it replaces the free oxygen that we breathe in an enclosed space.

Most of these heaters are externally vented via a tube or exhaust stack of some sort. Each boatowner with such a heater should religiously check the exhaust system for leaks and also know what other possible types of leaks could occur based on the heater type.

Using portable heaters not designed for marine use (like the Mr. Buddy one) is dangerous and should only be done with absoloute assured safe ventilation and carbon monoxide monitoring, which brings up another point:

Any boat using a combustion based cabin heater or an onboard generator should be equipped with a quality carbon monoxide detector, one which not only monitors gross CO levels, but also measures low-level concentrations and calculates the effects of the exposure to those in a cumulative form with the appropriate reporting alarm system.

This is a good article, and very timely during the winter season, where many of these tradgedies occur.

Joe.

[thataway]

Amen to the posts above. I think that all of David Pascoe's articles should be "required reading" for all boat owners!

Another good article on CO is at:http://www.aeromedix.com/aeromedix/art/co/

This is slanted toward aviation. But the specifics of the dangers and the detectors hold true for our C Dories as well. The last half is more about the condition and the detectors, the first is about pilots who developed CO poisoning.

Unfortunately I have treated several severe CO poisonings which didn't make it when I was working in emergency rooms in my early training.

Remember that carbon monoxide is cummulative in its effect. It is bound to the hemoglobin molicule in preference to the oxygen. It does not easly disassociate from the hemoglobin and even low concentrations will cause carbon monoxide poisoning over time.