A Warning and Reminder for Boaters from Intermountain Health; What You Can’t See, Can Harm You

Intermountain Health physicians have seen too many carbon monoxide poisonings from boats, many involving young children.

The Center for Disease Control began studying carbon monoxide poisoning related to boats in 2000. Since then, thousands of carbon monoxide poisonings and hundreds of deaths have been reported.

Lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide can accumulate in just seconds.

Carbon monoxide is produced when an engine that uses a carbon-based fuel like gasoline and is left running. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is undetectable by human sense that can poison or kill someone who breathes too much of it.

But carbon monoxide poisonings are preventable.

In many of these cases of poisoning, Lindell Weaver, MD, Intermountain Health’s medical director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Intermountain Medical Center and LDS Hospital said, “they occurred near the back of the boat, close to the exhaust where children went from from normal to serious in minutes!”

Dr. Weaver suggests never spending any time near the rear (stern) of a boat while the engine is running. This includes hanging onto the back of the swim platform or being towed close to the boat.

Here Are Some Other Ways to Prevent Poisonings:

• Know how and where CO may accumulate in and around your boat. Carbon monoxide can accumulate in many places under differing conditions
• Avoid closed-off, poorly ventilated areas of a boat when its engine is running
• Watch children closely when they play on rear swim decks or water platforms, which should not be allowed if the engine is running
• Educate all passengers about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisonings

Know the Symptoms:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Vomiting
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Seizure
• Loss of consciousness
• Death

When carbon monoxide poisoning causes you to pass out and fall into the water, drowning is likely, that’s why it’s so important to educate everyone on the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. They can often be mistaken as just seasickness.

If you think a person on your boat has carbon monoxide poisoning, move him or her to fresh air right away and contact the nearest emergency services.

Treatment of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

When done promptly, a blood test can confirm carbon monoxide poisoning. The best treatment is high-flow oxygen, sometimes in a special room or capsule called a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which delivers 100% oxygen to the body, not only getting rid of the toxic carbon monoxide in your system, but also reducing inflammation in the brain caused by carbon monoxide. Dr. Weaver says it can also reduce the risk of long-term neurocognitive problems which occur unpredictably.

Although treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning reduces the risk of possible permanent brain or cardiac injury, disability can still occur. Therefore, thinking about carbon monoxide and how to prevent and avoid it is the best way to avoid it.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.