Carbon Monoxide Deaths

[BruceK]

2 men were discovered dead on board a trawler style boat in Tasmania (state) by the boat`s owner. The 2 men brought the boat back to its marina berth after the owner`s daughter, accompanied by the owner, were helicoptered to hospital from a remote location when the young girl became violently ill several days earlier.
Exhaust leakage into the cabin from the genset is the suspected cause of both the girl falling ill and the 2 deaths. Why the genset was run in a Marina is unclear(?no Marina power available) but even in summer the south located Tasmania island state can get cold. It could have been run for heating, or other needs.
The worried diesel mechanic who luckily spotted exhaust fumes coming from the turbo of the engine of a previous boat told me children are especially susceptible carbon monoxide poisoning.
It is a tragic reminder of the need to monitor for carbon monoxide onboard.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Sure glad we just installed new "dual" detectors. These even talk to ya!

 

[Ski in NC]

Was it a diesel or gasoline boat? I have investigated a CO death caused by a gas gennie, but have not heard of such with a diesel.

 

[BruceK]

Here is a news link. Bodies of two men found on boat in Hobart's Prince of Wales Bay; fumes may be cause of death - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
Reports don`t say whether the boat was gas or diesel, looking at it I`d guess diesel.
My boat I mentioned was diesel, the ex Navy mechanic was very concerned, especially the risk for children.

 

[BruceK]

Was it a diesel or gasoline boat? I have investigated a CO death caused by a gas gennie, but have not heard of such with a diesel.

Your instincts may be right. Another news report says the generator was gas powered, and implies it was a portable type.
Speculation, but it sounds less likely a generator defect and more likely a location issue whereby exhaust gases went where they should not.
There will be a Police investigation almost certainly followed by a Coroner`s Inquiry, but that will take time.

 

[Star0210]

Our boat has gas engines. We have two carbon monoxide detectors. One in the galley and one in our room. They plug into outlets and have batteries as well. I sure hope that's sufficient.
What a tragedy for those people. How sad.

 

[sdowney717]

If a diesel has the air intake restricted, it will create significant amounts of CO gas enough to kill.
If it is running good, much less likely to kill.
I have read diesel even running good can kill.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland...vironmental-council-diesel-exhaust-kills.html

Diesel exhaust, according to OEC's report, is most concentrated in areas with predominantly low-income residents and people of color. Diesel is 100 times more toxic than gasoline exhaust and "the sole source of one of Oregon’s worst toxic air pollutants," diesel particulates, which can contain cadmium, arsenic and chromium according to the study.

I wonder how long you will last sitting in a room with a running diesel exhaust?
Nazis killed people with diesel exhaust.
http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/leuchter/leuchter-faq-19.html

Even in cases where the CO output was low, the animals still died from other toxic components - mainly irritants and nitrogen dioxide.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...ot-so-harmless-and-could-damage-human-health/
Some want to ban diesels in european cities due to the large amount of nitrogen dioxides they create.

 

[dhays]

Our boat has gas engines. We have two carbon monoxide detectors. One in the galley and one in our room. They plug into outlets and have batteries as well. I sure hope that's sufficient.
What a tragedy for those people. How sad.

Wouldn't hurt to check the expiry date on the CO detectors. They should simply quit working when they expire, 1 think it is about 5 years.

 

[Star0210]

Wouldn't hurt to check the expiry date on the CO detectors. They should simply quit working when they expire, 1 think it is about 5 years.

After the one in the galley went off a few times we decided to go ahead and replace them with brand new ones. Gave me better piece of mind. The new ones don't plug into an outlet. The batteries are supposed to last for 10 years. I've already gotten accustomed to looking at them fairly often just to make sure the light is on showing them operable.

 

[ranger58sb]

The batteries are supposed to last for 10 years.

FWIW, the expiration date -- on most, at least -- is apparently about the functional life of the sensor, not the batteries.

-Chris

 

[dhays]

FWIW, the expiration date -- on most, at least -- is apparently about the functional life of the sensor, not the batteries.

-Chris

Yes. The batteries would likely outlast the sensor. From my own limited understanding, the CO sensors are supposed to quit working at the expiry date and will beap continuously if they are continued to be used.

 

[Star0210]

FWIW, the expiration date -- on most, at least -- is apparently about the functional life of the sensor, not the batteries.

-Chris

I'll have to make note of the expiration date.
Seems silly to promote an item as having a 10 yr battery life if the purpose of the item won't last that long.

 

[psneeld]

I think some of the new ones don't have replaceable batteries and have 10 year useful lives...buy and tosss...

Maybe wasteful...maybe a good safety ide..depends if on the expiration date they sold till you hit them with a sledge hammer.

 

[C lectric]

I use a small CO monitor in the V berth. Each year the batteries are changed, just done a few weeks ago.
Another year and it will get replaced with a new one.

It sounded when we had the boat closed up, RAINING HARD, and I ran our little stove too long with a closed boat. It startled me but it did what was required , alerted me to a building problem.

Seems like every year someone ends up in trouble or dead even when they thought adequate precautions had been taken. Darn shame as a monitor is relatively cheap.
CO is dangerous and as we know, it cannot be smelled.

 

[Ski in NC]

Mine sounds repeating short beeps if batts get low. Once I replaced batts and it still beeped. Expired sensor, bought another unit.

I have never had it sound an actual alarm. Makes me wonder how sensitive it is. I often cook propane in the galley, propane grille out back, of course run the main and gennie as needed. Either this thing has the sensitivity of a brick or I'm never around much CO.

 

[FlyWright]

My CO and Propane detectors are wired to 12V house power so no batteries to replace. All 5 smoke alarms are battery powered. 5 years sounds about right for a useful life for the CO monitors.