Carbon Monoxide Kills Lakewood Man, Others, On Lake Powell
Voluntary Recall Hasn't Solved Houseboat Problem, Experts Say
POSTED: 1:57 p.m. MDT October 9, 2002
UPDATED: 1:59 p.m. MDT October 9, 2002
The death of a Lakewood, Colo., man in Utah is the latest tragedy in the state blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning.
Manufacturers and the federal government have
taken steps toward improving houseboat designs and fixing existing
boats, but deaths and illnesses related to carbon monoxide
poisoning are still occurring.
Over the past two weekends, 14 people were
treated after being overcome by the poisonous gas on Lake Powell.
Ken Kidder of Lakewood was last seen working on the back of his
boat Sept. 28. His body was found three days later. Initial reports
from the San Juan County Medical Examiner's Office in Utah indicated
a high level of carbon monoxide in his blood. The 14 people
affected last weekend were treated and released after falling ill
on two separate houseboats.
Since the start of 2001, there have been four carbon monoxide
deaths and 47 nonfatal poisonings on Lake Powell.
In the past eight years, 61 people have died nationwide,
including 13 on Lake Powell.
"The manufacturers are putting information into instruction
books, putting stickers on the boat's control panels," said Phil
Cappell, chief of the Product Assurance Division in the Coast
Guard's Recreation Boating Safety Office. "They're doing the easy
things."
A sense of urgency developed in August 2000 when two Colorado
brothers died while houseboating on Lake Powell. At that time,
investigators pushed for changes on the boats.
Reports were issued, congressional hearings took place and there
was lots of media attention, all with the intent of looking at
carbon monoxide problems in pleasure boats.
The problem reached back to the generator, which spits out
odorless, colorless carbon monoxide gas near the swim deck, where
people often congregate.
The Coast Guard ordered a voluntary recall of houseboats.
"Since it's a voluntary recall, the Coast Guard isn't really
checking to see if the manufacturers' claims are true," said
Robert Baron, a doctor in Phoenix who has helped lead the research
into carbon monoxide poisonings on boats.
Low staffing levels have left the Coast Guard without manpower
to verify whether flawed houseboats have been fixed.
"With 4,000 different boats and four inspectors, we have to
take the companies' word for it," Cappell said.
Baron said no alterations have been made to about half of the
boats that need them. At some lakes, that estimate goes as high as
80 percent, say rangers at Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona and Lake Mead in
Arizona.
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Manufacturers and the federal government have
taken steps toward improving houseboat designs and fixing existing
boats, but deaths and illnesses related to carbon monoxide
poisoning are still occurring.
Over the past two weekends, 14 people were
treated after being overcome by the poisonous gas on Lake Powell.
Ken Kidder of Lakewood was last seen working on the back of his
boat Sept. 28. His body was found three days later. Initial reports
from the San Juan County Medical Examiner's Office in Utah indicated
a high level of carbon monoxide in his blood. The 14 people
affected last weekend were treated and released after falling ill
on two separate houseboats.
Since the start of 2001, there have been four carbon monoxide
deaths and 47 nonfatal poisonings on Lake Powell.
In the past eight years, 61 people have died nationwide,
including 13 on Lake Powell.
"The manufacturers are putting information into instruction
books, putting stickers on the boat's control panels," said Phil
Cappell, chief of the Product Assurance Division in the Coast
Guard's Recreation Boating Safety Office. "They're doing the easy
things."
A sense of urgency developed in August 2000 when two Colorado
brothers died while houseboating on Lake Powell. At that time,
investigators pushed for changes on the boats.
Reports were issued, congressional hearings took place and there
was lots of media attention, all with the intent of looking at
carbon monoxide problems in pleasure boats.
The problem reached back to the generator, which spits out
odorless, colorless carbon monoxide gas near the swim deck, where
people often congregate.
The Coast Guard ordered a voluntary recall of houseboats.
"Since it's a voluntary recall, the Coast Guard isn't really
checking to see if the manufacturers' claims are true," said
Robert Baron, a doctor in Phoenix who has helped lead the research
into carbon monoxide poisonings on boats.
Low staffing levels have left the Coast Guard without manpower
to verify whether flawed houseboats have been fixed.
"With 4,000 different boats and four inspectors, we have to
take the companies' word for it," Cappell said.
Baron said no alterations have been made to about half of the
boats that need them. At some lakes, that estimate goes as high as
80 percent, say rangers at Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona and Lake Mead in
Arizona.
- October 2, 2002: Colo. Man's Body Pulled From Lake Powell
- March 2, 2001: Nationwide Houseboat Recall Announced After Colorado Deaths
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
