Cabin Cruisers On Lake Travis Article

Carbon monoxide poisonings of boaters on the decks of houseboats or in the water at the stern are by no means limited to the rash of accidents uncovered at Lake Powell, federal investigators have found. In fact, more boaters have died in similar accidents at other lakes around the . since 1986 than the seven fatal cases initially reported at the popular western lake between Arizona and Utah.

"No one knows if this is the whole iceberg or just the tip of the iceberg," said Michael Sciulla, . vice president for Government Affairs in testimony before a congressional subcommittee in mid-May.

"The Firestone tire tragedy haunts us. Hundreds if not thousands of unsuspecting boaters may be at risk and the Coast Guard's ability to act with dispatch is severely hampered," said Sciulla in urging the subcommittee to provide the Coast Guard with the authority to recall defective houseboats older than five years. Unlike automobiles, which may be recalled for up to 10 years after manufacture, federal law only permits the Coast Guard to order a recall of boats and engines up to five years old. Most of the houseboats in question are older than that. (See /gov for the complete text of this congressional testimony).

The initial report last fall on carbon monoxide poisonings at Lake Powell by Dr. Robert Baron, medical director of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (where Lake Powell is located), and Jane McCammon, a carbon monoxide expert and director of the Denver office of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), led to a nationwide recall by the . Coast Guard in February. The six manufacturers with models subject to the recall are Stardust, Sumerset, Skipperliner, Sunstar, Fantasy Custom Yachts, and Thoroughbred Cruisers. (See March and May, 2001, issues of BOAT/. Magazine).

A follow-up report released in April by Baron and McCammon made it clear that the potentially lethal design flaw of certain model houseboats, combined with running the generator when the boat is at anchor or at the dock, could cause a person to die of asphyxiation almost instantly from taking as little as two breaths. Many of these houseboats were designed with an air cavity beneath the stern swim platform. This is also where the generator exhaust vents and carbon monoxide can build up to deadly levels within minutes if the generator is running.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that results from the incomplete burning of carbon fuel such as gasoline. Symptoms of exposure include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, confusion and nausea. Carbon monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths in the United States.

In addition to recalling six makes of houseboats with the air cavity/generator exhaust design, the Coast Guard is also warning boaters on any type of powerboat not to run the generator when at anchor, especially when there are swimmers in the water or anyone on the stem deck. The deadly gas can also travel from a side exhaust vent or even from another boat docked or rafted nearby.

Among the new cases involving houseboats are these:

* Silver Glen Springs near Ocala, FL - A man in snorkel gear went into an air cavity underneath a houseboat to check the outdrive; the generator was turned on shortly before he went into the area. Within five minutes he was found floating face down in the water; he was resuscitated at a hospital but died 17 hours later.

* Lake of the Ozarks, MO - A man died swimming behind a houseboat in the summer of 1999. In June 1998, a 4-year-old girl swam to the swim platform so her mother could apply sunscreen to her face and within moments she was floating face up in the water (wearing a life jacket). Fortunately, she was rescued.

* Lake Havasu, AZ - A former houseboat rental manager reported two employees died while sitting on the rear swim deck, near water level. A year later, two customers died in the same place.

* Center Hill Lake, TN - A father and son both died after the father dove under the houseboat to fix a mechanical problem. The son dove in when the father did not resurface and was also overcome.

* Dale Hollow Lake, TN-A girl swimming with other children around the stem told her mother three times she felt sick. The illness was attributed to the hot weather and sun. After lying down for awhile, the girl was allowed to go back in the water and swam on the side of the boat where the generator vented. She told her brother she felt sick again and, reaching for the swim ladder, sank and died.

* Lakes in Ohio, New York and Florida - Three children died in separate incidents from CO poisoning while swimming or playing at the stern of a powerboat.

* Table Rock Lake, MO - Two girls were overcome while swimming behind a houseboat but were rescued in time. In July 2000, eight people were overcome on one houseboat; the generator was running and the boat's cabin CO detector had been disconnected. They all recovered.

* Lake Travis, TX - An employee of a houseboat rental company swam into the air cavity to free a snagged buoy cable and was found unconscious; he recovered. The manager of nine rental houseboats reported four other cases of non-fatal CO poisonings on swim decks.

The full Coast Guard list of affected models can be found at the . Web site at , click on Recall Registry, Recent Recalls and then Archives for February. More details on the NIOSH findings are at the Web site ./.