Page 1 

# Incidents, Deaths, and In

- Depth Investigations

Associated with Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide

from Engine

- Driven Generators and Other Engine

- Driven Tools

, 1999

– 20 1 2

Matthew V. Hnatov U.S. Consumer Product Safety Co mmission Directorate for Epidemiology Division of Hazard Analysis 4330 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 August 201 3

This analysis was prepared by the CPSC staff and it has not been reviewed or approved by, and may not necessarily reflect the views of, the Commission.Page 2 

## Table of Contents

Introduction

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 7

I. Reported Numbers of Fatalities by Engine

- Driven Tool (EDT) Product Type

........................ 9

Table 1: Number of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Expo sure Incidents and Deaths
Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ............. 10

Table 2: Number of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incidents and Deaths
Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Number of Deaths per Incident, 1999

– 2012

.................. 11

Table 3: Number of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incidents and Deaths
Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Year, 1999

– 2012

................................ ............................... 12

Figure 1: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

Driven Tools, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 13

II. Socio

- Demographic Characteristics of Victims and EDT Use Patterns

................................ .. 14

Table 4: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatali ties Associated with Engine

- Driven
Tools by Age of Victim, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 14

Table 5: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven
Tools by Gender of Victim, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ............................... 15

Table 6: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Mon oxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven
Tools by Race/Ethnicity of Victim, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ................... 16

Table 7: Number of Reported Non

- F ire Carbon Monoxide Incidents and Fatalities Associated with
Engine

- Driven Tools by Season, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ....................... 17

Table 8: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Incidents and Fatalities Associated with
Engine

- Driven Tools by Location, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ .................... 19

Table 9: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven
Tools by Population Density of Place of Death, 1999

– 2012

................................ .............................. 21

III. Alarm Usage

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 22

Table 10: Carbon Monoxide Alarm Usage Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools Non

- Fire Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning Deaths, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ............................. 23

IV. Hazard Patterns Associated with Generators

................................ ................................ ............ 24

Table 11: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Generators
by Reason for Use, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 25

Table 12: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Generators
by Reason for Power Outage, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ........................... 26

Table 13: Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths in the Fixed

- structure Home Location by
Location of the Generator, 2 

### 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ .............................. 28

Table 14: Non

- Fire CO Fatalities in the Fixed

- structure Home Reported to CPSC Staff and

Associated with Generators 2 

### Categorized by Status of Ventilation, 1999

– 2012

............................. 29Page 3 

### Table 15: Non

- Fire CO Fatalities in the Fixed

- structure Home Reported to CPSC Staff and
Associated with Generators Categorized by Size of Home, 1999

– 2012

................................ ........... 31

Table 16: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Mono xide Fatalities Associated with Generators
Categorized by Generator Wattage Rating, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ .... 32

Conclusion

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 33

References

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 34

Appendix A: Epidemiology Data Retrieval Specifics

................................ ................................ ........ 35

Appendix B: Carboxyhemoglobin Levels Present In CO Fatalities

................................ ................ 36

Table B

- 1: Carboxyhemoglobin Levels Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools Non

- Fire Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning Deaths, 1999

– 2012

................................ ................................ ............................. 37Page 4 

# Executive Summary

This report summarizes non

- fire carbon monoxide (CO) incidents associated with engine

- driven generators and other engine

- driven tools that occurred between 1999 and 201 2 , and were reported to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff as of April 2 3 , 201 3 . It should be noted

that due to incident reporting delays, statistics for the most recent years should be considered incomplete. In this report, the two most recent years

, 201 1 and 201 2

, are identified as being incomplete because these figures most like ly will change in future reports

. Through out this report, the number of deaths represents a count of the fatalities reported to CPSC staff associated with generators and other engine

- driven tools, such as power lawn mowers, garden tractors, portable pumps, power sprayers and washers, snow blowers , and concrete saws. Also included in this report are summaries of fatal, non

- fire CO incidents, where an engine

- driven tool (EDT) and one or more

other fuel

- burning consumer products 1 

## also may have been involved and the EDT was believed to be, at least, a contributing factor to the fatal levels of CO. These fatalities are characterized in the “Multiple Product” category. This report also provides a more detailed summary of fatal, non

- fire CO poisoning incidents associated with engine

- driven tools

, with particular emphasis on cases involving generator use

, based on information found in the CPSC’s In

- D epth Investigation (INDP)

File.

Some of the findings of this report are provided below :

CO Fatalities Associated with All EDTs and by EDT Product Type:

• The total number of fatalities for 1999 through 201 2 increased by 50 from the 881 fatalities

summarized in the July 201 2 report , which reported fatalities for the period 1999 through

201 1

, as of April 20 , 201 2

.

• From 1999 through 201 2

, 931 fatalities from 725 incidents were associated with the use of engine

- driven tools, or engine

- driven tools used in conjunction with another potentially CO

emitting consumer product.

• As of April 2 3 , 201 3 , there were 37 reported non

- fire CO fatalities in 201 2 , from a total of

3 2 incidents. Thir ty

- three of these deaths ( 28 incidents) involved only a generator and no other product ; three deaths ( three incidents) were associated with a non

- generator other engine

- driven tool (OEDT); and one death ( one incident) w as asso ciated with multiple fuel

burning consumer products, one of which was a generator.

• From 1999 to 201 2

, of the 931 fatalities from 725 incidents, 739 (79 % ) ( 5 52 incidents ) were associated with generators; 12 6 fatalities ( 14 % ) from 1 23 incidents involv ed other engine

driven tools; and 6 6 fatalities (7%) from 50 incidents involved multiple fuel

- burning consumer products where one product was either a generator ( 60 of 6 6 deaths) or an OEDT ( five of 6 6 deaths) and the other product was a non

- EDT

, or where one product was a generator and one was an OEDT (1 of 6 0 deaths).

• Of the 50 incidents that involved multiple consumer products, all but two incident s involved a heating or cooking product, most commonly a portable LP

- or kerosene

- fueled portable

1 Combustion consumer products produce heat or energy by burning a fuel source. It should be noted that all fuel

- burning consumer
products may produce gases that contain CO because CO is a by

- product of incomplete combustion.Page 5 

## heater. One incident involved a generator and an O EDT (a lawnmower)

, and another

incident involved two gasoline

- fueled OEDTs (a lawnmower and trimmer)

.

• Twenty

- five percent of generator

- related, non

- fire CO incidents caused multiple fatalities,

while only three of the OEDT

- related incidents ( 2 % ) involved multiple fatalit ies . Twenty

s ix percent of multiple product

- related, non

- fire CO incidents caused multiple fatalities.

• Nearly three

- fourths ( 5 98 of 800 ) of generator

- related fatalities detailed in this report (including fatalities involving multiple products where one product was a generator)

occurred between 2005 and 201 2

. Seventy

- two percent of all engine

- driven

, tool

- related CO poisoning deaths reported to CPSC since 1999 occurred in the most recent eight years.

Socio

- D emographic Characteristics of Victims and EDT

- Use Patterns:

• Eighty

- three percent of generator

- related victims (including multiple product incidents where a generator was involved) were known to be 25 years old or older . By contrast, 99 percent of OEDT

- related victims (all but one) were 25 years old or older.

• Nearly three

- quarters of the generator

- related

, non

- fire CO victims were male, while 97 percent (all but four) of the OEDT

- related fatalities were male

.

• Twenty

- three percent of generator

- related, non

- fire CO fatalities w ere non

- Hispanic Black or African American, nearly double the non

- Hispanic Black or African American proportion of the U.S. population. Eighty

- nine percent of other engine

- driven tool

- related, non

- fire CO

fatalit ies were non

- Hispanic White, much higher than the non

- Hispanic White proportion (67%) of the U.S. population.

• H alf of generator

- related

, non

- fire CO fatalities ( 402 of 800 , including multiple product

incidents ) occurred in the four cold months of the year (November through February), while

CO fatalities associated with OEDT s were only slightly more prevalent in the cold months ( 40 % ) than in the transitional and warm months (3 3 % and 2 7 % , respectively).

• Seventy

- four percent of the generator

- related fatal ities (including incidents involving multiple products, where one was a generator ) occurred in fixed

- structure homes, while 60 percent of OEDT fatalities occurred in fixed

- structure homes.

• Fifty

- six percent of the EDT

- related fatalities are known to have occurred in urban areas

. Seventeen percent occurred in small rural and isolated areas , nearly double the proportion of the U.S. population that lives in such areas

.

CO Alarm Usage:

• A CO alarm was reported to have been present in only 21 of 279 incidents where alarm presence was known, which accounted for 30 of 38 5 (8 % ) EDT

- related CO fatalities. In

eleven of the incidents ( 1 8 deaths), the alarm was inoperable due to no batteries, batteries inserted incorrectly, probable drained batteries, or no electric current. The alarm sounded in

six incidents ( six deaths), but the signal was either misunderstood or the alarm sounded inside the house while the fatality occurred inside an attached garage (presumably, the death occurred in the garage before CO levels in creased inside the house sufficient to set off the CO alarm)

. Additionally, there were four incidents ( six deaths) in which the presence of a CO alarm was noted, but it is unknown if the alarm sounded during the event.

Hazard Patterns Associated with Generators:Page 6 

## • T hir ty percent of all generator

- related, non

- fire CO deaths ( 236 of 800 ) from 1999 through

2012 were associated with power outages , mostly due to weather

- related issues

. The two

most common causes of fatal incidents due to weather

- related outages were ice/snow storms (77 incidents, 107 deaths) and h urricanes /tropical storms (49 incidents, 71 deaths). The second most common reason for generator usage in the reported CO fatalities was due to power shut

- off

, accounting for 19 percent (153 deat hs) of the all reported fatalities.

• Five hundred eighty

- eight non

- fire CO fatalities ( 439 incidents) that occurred in fixed

structure homes were associated with a generator or a generator in use with another CO

generating consumer product. S ix ty

- nine percent ( 407 deaths, 295 incidents ) occurred when the generator was placed inside the living area of the home, including the basement, closets, and doorways, but excluding the attached garage, enclosed carport, or attached barn.

• In recent years, the most common location of generators associated with CO fatalities has

shifted from the basement to the non

- basement living space of the home. From 2004 through 201 2 , 3 6 percent of fatal CO incident s ( 38% of deaths ) in the home occurred with a generator placed i n the non

- basement living space of the home . From 1999 through 2003

, 2 6 percent of fatal incident s ( 21% of deaths ) occurred in non

- basement living space

scenarios

.

• More than two

- thirds of generator

- related

, non

- fire fatal CO i nciden ts in fixed

- structure homes ( for which information on ventilation of the generator was available) occurred when no ventilation of the generator was attempted.

• Fif ty

- ni ne percent of the generator

- related

, non

- fire fatal CO incidents (6 1 % of deaths) in

fixed

- structure homes, wh ere the size of the home was known and the generator was not located in an external structure, occurred in houses less than 1,500 square feet in size; 8 5 percent ( 8 5 % of deaths ) occurred in houses less than 2,000 square feet in size.

• Nearly t wo

- thirds ( 174 of 266 ) of fatal CO incidents

, where the size of the generator was

known

, were associated with generators in the 3500 to 6499 watt range, and nearly half ( 46 %; 1 22 of 266 ) were associated with generators in the 5000 to 6499 watt range.

Carboxyhemoglobin Levels in CO Fatality Victims:

• Of the CO fatality victims associated with engine

- driven tools, 81 percent had carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels at or above the 50 percent level when t he COHb level

was known

. 2



## Note: Throughout this report, the years 20 1 1 and 201 2 are italicized in table headings, indicating that incident and death counts may change as additional information is received. Incident and death counts may change for other years but to a much smaller extent.

2 As levels rise above 40 percent COHb, death is possible in healthy individuals and becomes increasingly likely with prolonged
exposures that maintain levels in the 40 percent to 60 percent range.Page 7 

# Introduction

The f ollowing U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ( CPSC ) databases were searched to prepare the statistics recorded in this report: the In

- D epth Investigation (INDP) File, the Injury or Potential Injury Incident (IPII) File, and the Death Certificate (DTHS) File. See Appendix A for the codes and keywords used in the database searches. The data records were combined and collated to develop the most complete records possible in a single database. At this stage, each record was

reviewed to determine whether the incident was in scope for this report and to correct any discrepancies between information from the different sources. (See Appendix A for the specifics of scope determination.) It should be noted that reporting may not be complete, and this report r eflects only those incidents reported and entered into CPSC databases on or before April 2 3 , 201 3 . All fatal, unintentional, non

- fire carbon monoxide (CO) incidents associated with engine

- driven tools (EDTs) found during the database search that were dete rmined to be in scope were included.

CPSC records contain information on 93 1 non

- fire CO fatalities associated with EDTs during the years 1999 through 201 2

. Since the last report in 2012 , there have been 5 5 new CO fatalities reported to CPSC. Additionally, f ive reported fatalities have been removed from the report summaries (see below for details). This is a n et increase of 50 fatalities from the 8 8 1 fatalities reported in the July 201 2 report on non

- fire CO fatalities associated with EDTs

, which included

data entered in to CPSC databases as of April 20 , 201 2

. 3



## Changes to previous report:

• 2006

– one two

- fatality incident was removed. An incident involving two deaths was found

to have been double counted due to differences in reported incident date. Further

information retrieved from an I nternet search revealed information linking these two

incidents.

• 2007

– one new one

- fatality incident added.

• 2008

– one new one

- fatality incident added.

• 20 09

– one one

- fatality incident removed. A fatal incident was found to have been double

counted due to differences in reported incident date. Additional information retrieved from

an I nternet search revealed information linking incidents.

• 2010

– Two new one

- fatality incidents added.

• 2011

– Thirteen new incidents added

, accounting for 1 4 deaths

. Two one

- fatality incident s removed

– new information revealed that two CO poisoning s w ere due to product s not under CPSC jurisdiction

.

• 2012

– Thirty

- two n ew inc idents added

, accounting for 37 deaths

.

Thir ty

- six of the 37 fatalities reported to CPSC that occurred in 2012

, were associated with generators or other engine

- driven tools (OEDT) as the only known source s of the CO. O n e additional fatal it y w as associated with the use of a generator and a portable LP heater . Incidents associated with generators that were specifically reported as integral parts of recreational vehicles

3 Hnatov, M. V. Incidents, Deaths, and In

- Depth Investigat ions Associated with Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide from Engine

- Driven
Generators and Other Engine

- Driven Tools, 1999

– 201 1

. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. July 201 2

.Page 8 

## (RVs), motor homes, or boats are not within the jurisdiction of the CPSC ; and thus

, these incidents were considered out of scope and were not included. For example, generators that were reported ly mounted to an RV were not included, nor were boat generators that were installed by the boat

manufacturer. Because incidents in recrea tional vehicles and boats can be associated with a portable generator or an integral generator, those incidents in which the type of generator could not be determined were also excluded from the analysis.

Any incident that was determined to be other than unintentional in nature was considered to be out of scope, as were work

- related incidents, which are not within the jurisdiction of the CPSC.

This report is divided into four sections:

I. Reported Numbers of Fatalities by EDT Product Type. This presents an overall picture of CO fatalities associated with engine

- driven tools.

II. Socio

- demographics of Victims and EDT Use Patterns. This presents various socio

demographic summaries helpful in identifying specific characteristics of CO fatality victims and usage p atterns, such as when and where fatalities occurred.

III. Alarm Usage. This presents information on CO alarm usage during fatal CO events.

IV. Hazard Patterns Associated with Generators. This presents data specific to generator usage patterns that may lead to fat al CO poisoning events.

Additionally, Appendix B presents summary findings on carboxyhemoglobin levels in the blood of victims of CO poisoning involving EDT use, which are helpful in assessing the hazard presented by the product and the speed of onset of harm.Page 9 

# I. Reported Numbers of Fatalities by E ngine

- D riven T ool (EDT) Product Type

As of April 2 3 , 201 3 , CPSC staff had records indicating that there were 32 fatal, non

- fire carbon monoxide (CO) exposure incidents involving engine

- driven tools between Jan uary 1, 201 2 and

Dec ember 31, 201 2

. Thir ty

- seven deaths occurred in these 3 2 fatal CO incidents. Table 1 presents the reported fatal incidents and the number of deaths in 201 2 , along with a summary of CO

incidents and fatalities associated wi th engine

- driven tools for the 1 4

- year period from 1999 through

201 2 . The table records the number of incidents and deaths by the broad categories of “Generators,” “Other Engine

- Driven Tools,” and “Multiple Products.” Multiple product incidents

are fatal CO poisonings that involved multiple fuel

- burning consumer products that generate CO, at least one being an EDT, or in which investigating authorities could not determine which of multiple consumer products in use at the time of the incident was the sourc e of the CO. CPSC staff is aware

of 6 6 fatalities associated with multiple consumer products

, occurring between 1999 and 201 2 ; on e of these fatalities occurred in 201 2

. Multiple product i ncidents

, where one of the sources of CO is not under the CPSC’s ju risdiction, such as automobiles, boats, or recreational vehicles, were determined to be out of scope and are not included in this report.

Within each broad category, the frequency of reports is summarized by product type. Staff is aware

of 725 inciden ts with a total of 93 1 deaths due to non

- fire CO exposure that occurred between 1999

and 201 2 , involving engine

- driven tools.

In Table 1, the product type “welder” appears in both the “Generator” and “Other Engine

- Driven Tool” categories. Some welding equipment is designed to be used as a welder or as an electric generator. Two of the fatal, non

- fire CO incidents associated with the use of welding equipment

that occurred between 1999 and 201 2 , involved the use of the we lder as a generator during a power outage. Each of these two incidents involved a single death. There were six fatal, non

- fire CO

incidents between 1999 and 201 2 , which were associated with the use of welder equipment, where it was not specifically ident ified as being used as a generator. Of these six incidents, one incident (involving two deaths) occurred when the welder was being used as a source of heat, and, in the other five incidents (six deaths: four single

- fatality incidents and one two

- fatality incident), the welder was being used for welding purposes or the method of usage could not be ascertained. These latter five incidents were included in the “Other Engine

- Driven Tools” category because

there was no evidence indicat ing that the welders were being used as generators.

All but two of the 6 6 non

- fire

, CO fatalities in the “Multiple Products” category for 1999

– 2012 involved a heating

- or cooking

- related consumer product other than an EDT. One incident involved a generator and a lawn tractor bei ng run in a closed garage. The other incident involved a gasoline

fueled

, walk

- behind mower and a gasoline

- fueled trimmer

, also running in a closed garage

.Page 10 

## Table 1: Number of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incidents and

Deaths Associ ated with Engine

- Driven Tools, 1999

– 2012

Product 2011 2012 Total: 1999

– 2012

Number of

Incidents Number of

Deaths Number of

Incidents Number of

Deaths Number of

Incidents Number of

Deaths

Total Engine

- Driven Tools 73 10 0 32 37 72 5 93 1

Generators 59 84 28 33 552 739 Generator, portable 56 79 28 33 547 732
Generator, fixed 3 5 0 0 3 5 Welder (used as a generator) 1 0 0 0 0 2 2

Other Engine

- Driven Tools (OEDT) 9 9 3 3 12 3 12 6

Lawn mowers 5 5 2 2 73 73

Riding lawn mower/Garden tractor 5 5 2 2 6 5 6 5

Push lawn mower 0 0 0 0 3 3 Powered lawn mower, unspecified type 0 0 0 0 5 5

Power washer/sprayer 2 2 0 0 10 10

Snow blower 1 1 0 0 11 11

All

- terrain vehicle 0 0 1 1 8 9 Welder (used as welder or other reason) 1 0 0 0 0 6 8 Water pump 0 0 0 0 4 4

Concrete saw 0 0 0 0 3 3 Air compressor 0 0 0 0 2 2 Paint sprayer 0 0 0 0 1 1

Snowmobile 0 0 0 0 1 1

Go

- cart 0 0 0 0 1 1

Tiller 0 0 0 0 1 1 Small engine (unknown use) 0 0 0 0 1 1 Edger 1 1 0 0 1 1

Multiple Products 2 5 7 1 1 50 66

Generator + Other Consumer Product 3 5 7 1 1 45 61

OEDT + Other Consumer Product 4 0 0 0 0 5 5

1 Some welding equipment is designed to be used as either a welder or a generator.

2 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other combustion fuel

- burning consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and an OEDT (lawn

tracto r ) in operation.

3 This category includes one incident involving one fatality where a generator and an OEDT were being used concurrently.

4 The incidents associated with an OEDT and another consumer product include the following engine

- driven tools: two incidents involving lawn mowers, one incident involving a log splitter, one involving a snow blower, and one involving a tiller.

Note: Ital icized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.



## Five hundred and fifty

- two of the 725 incidents reported to CPSC staff during the 1999

- 2012 period

were associated with a generator and accounted for 739 of the 93 1 CO deaths (79%). Additionally,

6 1 other CO fatalities from 4 5 incidents were associated with the use of a generator and another combustion consumer product

— most commonly an LP

- or kerosene

- fueled heater. One of these fatalities involved a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn tractor). For the rest of this report, this incident will be included in the tables and discussi ons in the category

, Multiple

Products

, involving a generator. Throughout the remainder of this report, incidents associated withPage 11 

## all non

- generator engine

- driven tools are reported as a group. In addition, because the majority of

incidents were associate d with generators, characteristics of these incidents are reported separately

in Section IV. More than half of the non

- fire, non

- generator CO fatalities ( 75 of 1 3 1 , 57% ) involved a garden tractor or other powered lawn mower (including multiple product incidents). Deaths associated with powered lawn mowers were often associated with an individual repairing or working on the product in an enclosed space.

CPSC staff examined the number of deaths associated with each fatal incident (Table 2). Of the

72 5 fatal incidents, 7 9 percent involved a single fatality. Seventy

- f ive percent ( 413 of 5 52 ) of the fatal generator

- related incidents involved a single fatality. One incident involving a generator resulted in the deaths of six individuals, and two others involved five fatalities. Of the 1 23 fatal incidents in the “Other Engine

- Driven Tools” category, three incidents resulted in more than one fatality. Twenty

- six percent of multiple

- product, fatal CO incidents resulted in multiple fatalities.

Table 2: N umber of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incidents and Deaths Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Number of Deaths per Incident, 1999

– 2012

Number of Deaths Reported in

Incident 1 

### All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generator Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTs) Multiple Products 2,3

All Incidents 72 5 100% 5 52 100% 1 2 3 100% 50 ( 4 5 ) 100%

1 5 7 0 7 9 % 413 7 5 % 1 2 0 98 % 3 7 ( 3 2 ) 7 4 %

2 11 8 1 6 % 10 5 19 % 3 2 % 10 (10) 20%

3 2 6 4% 23 4 % 0 0% 3 ( 3 ) 6 %

4 8 1% 8 1 % 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

5 2 < 1% 2 < 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

6 1 < 1% 1 < 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

1 SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT COUNTS IN THIS TABLE ONLY: One incident included in this table involved an in

- scope, generator

- related death and an out

- of

- scope death (work related). Because two fatalities were involved in the incident, this

incident is included as a two

- fatality incident. The out

- of

- scope fatality is not included elsewhere in the report. Therefore, in this table only, there is one additional fatality repo rted. The in

- scope fatality was a generator

- related fatality, so it is included in

the “Generator” and “Total” columns.

2 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other combustion fuel

- burning consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters,

camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn tracto r ) in operation.

3 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including a case wh ere a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.



## CPSC staff summarized the number of reported deaths associated with engine

- driven tools by year of death (Table 3). It should be noted that the values in Table 3 represent the number of deaths reported to CPSC staff as of April 2 3 , 201 3 . Some deaths are reported to CPSC staff shortly after an incident occurs, while other deaths are reported to CPSC staff months or even years after an incident occurs. Therefore, counts for mor e recent years may not be as complete as counts for earlier years and may change in the future. Thirty

- three percent (18 of 5 5 ) of the reported fatalities new to the report were for years prior to 2012

. For the 1 4 years covered by this report, 72 percentPage 12 

## ( 679 of 93 1 ) of the deaths were reported as having occurred in the most recent eight years (200 5 through 201 2 ).

The average number of non

- fire CO fatalities associated with both generators and other engine

driven tools for years 200 8 through 20 10 is also presented in Table 3. These three years represent the most recent years for which CPSC staff believe reporting is substantially complete. Due to reporting delays, these averages may change slightly in the future when data are complete. Figure 1

illustrates the trend in engine

- driven

, tool

- related, non

- fire CO fatalities since 1999.

Table 3: Number of Reported Fatal Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Exposure Incidents and Deaths Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Year, 1999

– 2012

Year All Engine

- Dr iven

Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTs) 

### Multiple Products 1,2



### Incidents Deaths Incidents Deaths Incidents Deaths Incidents Deaths

Total 72 5 93 1 5 52 739 1 2 3 12 6 50 ( 4

5

) 6 6 ( 6 1 )

1999 12 12 6 6 5 5 1 (0) 1 (0)

2000 22 28 14 20 7 7 1 (1) 1 (1)

2001 19 25 14 17 2 2 3 (3) 6 (6)

2002 47 58 34 42 8 9 5 (4) 7 (6)

2003 51 67 38 52 9 9 4 (3) 6 (5)

2004 50 62 34 46 14 14 2 (1) 2 (1)

2005 93 116 73 94 13 13 7 (7) 9 (9)

2006 79 1 09 59 87 16 16 4 ( 4 ) 6 ( 6 )

2007 69 82 54 66 11 11 4 (4) 5 (5)

2008 7 7 10 2 64 88 6 6 7 ( 6 ) 8 ( 7 )

2009 55 76 43 64 10 10 2 (2) 2 (2)

2010 4 6 5 7 32 40 10 1 2 4 (4) 5 (5)

2011 7 3 10 0 5 9 84 9 9 5 (5) 7 (7)

2012 32 37 28 33 3 3 1 (1) 1 (1) Average:

200 8

– 20 10 59 78 46 64 9 9 4 (4) 5 (5)

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, l anterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn tracto r ) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a g enerator and an OEDT (lawn tracto r ) were used concurrently. Notes: Detail averages may not sum to total average due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

So urce: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.Page 13 

## Figure 1: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools, 1999

– 2012

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Number of Reported CO Fatalities



## Year

Generators Generators (reporting incomplete)

OEDT OEDT (reporting incomplete)

Multiple Products Multiple Products (reporting incomplete)Page 14 

# II. Socio

- Demographic Characteristics of Victims and EDT Use Patterns

This section presents socio

- demographic information about the victims of reported fatal CO incidents associated with engine

- driven tools (EDTs). Tables 4, 5

, and 6 present summaries of

socio

- demographic characteristics o f the victims. Table 4 p resent s the distribution of age s of the

victims. V ictims age 25 years or older accounted for about 8 6 percent ( 7 91 of 925 ) of reported

non

- fire

, CO poisoning deaths associated with all engine

- driven tools

, where the victim’s age is

known . Victims with a reported age of 25 years or older accounted for about 8 3 percent ( 6 61 of the

7 94 victims where the age was known ) of non

- fire CO poisoning deaths associated with generators (including multiple product relat ed deaths where one product was a generator) and accounted for nearly all of the deaths associated with other engine

- driven tools. Eighty

- f our percent of the non

fire CO fatalities associated with non

- generator

, engine

- driven tools ( 1 10 of 1 31 ) involved v ictims age 45 or older, with only one reported fatality of an individual younger than 25.

Table 4: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

Driven Tools by Age of Victim, 1999

– 2012

Age Number of Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTS) Multiple Products 1,2

Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage

Total 93 1 100% 739 100% 12 6 100% 6 6 ( 61 ) 100%

Under 5 1 5 2% 1 5 2% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

5

– 14 31 3% 31 4% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

15

– 24 88 9 % 79 11% 1 1% 8 ( 8 ) 1 2 %

25

– 44 276 30 % 2 39 3 2 % 20 16 % 1 7 (1 7 ) 2 6 %

45

– 64 3 48 37 % 2 53 34% 63 5 0 % 32 (29 ) 4 8 %

65 and over 1 6 7 18 % 116 16 % 4 2 3 3 % 9 ( 7 ) 1 4 %
Adult, age

unknown 6 1% 6 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, o utdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator an d an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Pr oduct Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.Page 15 

## Table 5 present s the distribution of the gender of the victims. Male victims accounted for 7 7 percent of the deaths associated with all engine

- driven tools when the gender of the victim is

known . Male victims comprised 7 3 percent of the deaths associated with generators and 9 7 percent
of non

- generator

, engine

- driven tool fatalities.

Table 5: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associate d with Engine

Driven Tools by Gender of Victim, 1999

– 2012

Gender 

### Number of Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators All Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTs) Multiple Products 1,2

Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage

Total 93 1 100% 739 100% 12 6 100% 66 (61) 100%

Male 72 0 77% 542 73% 12 2 97% 56 (51) 8 5 %

Female 209 22% 195 26% 4 3% 10 (10) 1 5 %

Unknown 2 < 1% 2 < 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently.

Not es: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.Page 16 

## Table 6 presents a summary of the race/ethnicity of the reported CO f atalities a ssociated with

e ngine

- d riven t ools

. The percentage of generator

- related CO fatalities ident ified as “B lack/African

American ” (23% of deaths ) was nearly double the proportion classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as “Black/African Americans” in the U.S. population ( a n estimated 12%). The percentage of the

non

- generator

, engine drive tools

- related CO fatalities ident ified as “White” (89% of deaths ) was

much higher than proportion classified as “White” by of the U.S. Census Bureau (an estimated 67%

of the U.S. population).

Table 6: Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

Driven Tools by Race/Ethnicity of Victim, 1999

– 2012

Race / Ethnicity Percentage of Average

Estimated U.S.

Resident Population 3 

### Number of Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators All Other Engine

Driven Tools

(OEDTs) Multiple Products 1,2

Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage Deaths Percentage

Total 931 100% 739 100% 126 100% 66 (61) 100%

White 67% 591 63% 433 59% 112 89% 46 (41) 70%

Black/African

American 12% 185 20% 171 23% 3 2% 11 (11) 17%

Hispanic (any race) 14% 93 10% 88 12% 1 1% 4 (4) 6%

Asian 4% 15 2% 13 2% 1 1% 1 (1) 2%

Native American 1% 9 1% 9 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

Other / Unknown

- 38 4% 25 3% 9 7% 4 (4) 6%

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products. “Other

Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in o peration.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently.

3 This p ercentage represents the a verage percentage over the 10

- year period 2000 through 2009. All categories, with the exception of “Hispanic (any race)” are non

- H ispan ic averages. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source s : U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

. U. S. Census Department, The 2012 Statistica l Abstract

- The National Data Book , Table 6

.



## Staff examined reported deaths associated with engine

- driven tools by the time of year that the incident occurred (Table 7 ). The non

- fire CO fatalities were classified into one of three categories

, depending on the month in which the incident occurred: Cold months, Warm months, and Transitional months. “Cold months” are defined as November, December, January, and February; “Warm months” as May, June, July, and August; and “Transitional months” as M arch, April, September, and October.Page 17 

## H alf ( 4 8 % , or 50 % when multiple product incidents where a generator was involved are taken into

account ) of the non

- fire CO deaths associated with generators occurred in the cold months of November through February. Many of the fatalities can be directly associated with the use of generators during power outages due to weather conditions

, such as ice or snow storms. Thirty percent of the generator

- related CO deaths occurred in the transitional months of March, April

, September, and October. A large portion of the non

- fire CO fatalities in the transitional months can be directly associated with the use of generators during power outages

, due to hurricanes and tropical storms, many of which occurred in September and, to a lesser extent, October. Additional details on this issue are presented in Section IV of this report.

For OEDTs, CO fatalities were only slightly more prevalent in the cold months ( 4 0 %) than the transitional months ( 3 3 %) and warm months ( 2 7 %). The Multiple Products category had a very large proportion of fatalities in the cold months (7 6 %), with 2 1 percent in the transitional months and three percent occurring in the warm months. This large percentage of fatalities in the cold months can be explained by examining the other fuel

- burning consumer products in use at the time

of the deaths. Of the 6 6 CO fatalities that involved multiple consumer products, 6 1 involved the use of a generator, and all but two involved a heating or cooking product, most commonly a portable

LP

- or kerosene

- fueled portable heater. Heaters are used almost exclusively in the cold and

transitional months.

Table 7 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Incidents and Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Season, 1999

– 2012

Season Incident Occurred Number of Incidents and Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

Driven Tools

(OEDTs) Multiple Products 1,2

Total Incidents 725 100% 5 52 100% 1 23 100% 50 (45 ) 100%

Deaths 93 1 100% 739 100% 12 6 100% 6 6 ( 61 ) 100%

Cold months Incidents 3 54 49 % 2 67 48 % 4 9 40 % 38 (36 ) 76%

Deaths 4 54 49 % 3 54 4 8 % 50 4 0 % 50 (4 8 ) 76 %

Transitional

months Incidents 2 12 29 % 1 62 29 % 40 33% 10 (8) 20%

Deaths 2 80 3 0 % 2 24 30 % 4 2 3 3 % 14 (12) 21 %

Warm months Incidents 15 9 22% 1 23 22 % 3 4 28 % 2 (1) 4%

Deaths 1 9 7 21 % 1 61 22 % 3 4 27 % 2 (1) 3%

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products. “Other Consumer Products” includes one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, l anterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a gen erator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were being used concurrently. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.Page 18 

## Incidents involving deaths are further summarized in Table 8 by the location where the death occurred. The majority of non

- fire

, CO poisoning deaths ( 7 82 of 93 1 , or 84%) repor ted to CPSC staff associated with engine

- driven tools occurred at home locations. Seventy

- two percent of the

deaths occurred at fixed

- structure used as a residence, which includ e houses, mobile homes, apartments, townhouses, and structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage. Another

1 0 percent occurred in external structures at home locations, such as detached garages or sheds.

And another t wo percent occurred in nontraditional homes, such as travel trailers, houseboats, or storage sheds used as permanent residences. The “Temporary shelter” category includes incidents in which victims died from CO poisoning from portable generators or other engine

- driven tools

, while the victims were temporarily occupying trailers, horse trailers, recreat ional vehicles (RVs), cabins (used as a temporary shelter), tents, and campers. Incidents that occurred in a temporary shelter, where the generator was an integral part of the temporary shelter, such as built

- in generators or generators built specifically for use in an RV are not within the purview of the CPSC and thus, out of scope for this report and were excluded from the analyses . The “Boat/Vehicle” category only includes incidents in which a generator or other engine

- driven tool was not an integral p art of the

boat

— but was brought onto the boat

— and incidents where an EDT was brought into a vehicle, such as a van. As with temporary shelters, incidents involving generators that were built

- in or specifically designed for a boat are not within the purvie w of CPSC and are not included in this report. The “Other” category includes incidents that occurred in the following locations: office buildings, utility buildings, and storage sheds (offsite from home).Page 19 

## Table 8 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Mo noxide Incidents and Fatalities Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools by Location, 1999

– 2012

Location Number of Incidents and Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTs) Multiple Products 1,2

Total Incidents 725 100% 5 52 100% 1 23 100% 50 (45 ) 100%

Deaths 931 100% 739 100% 12 6 100% 6 6 ( 61 ) 100%

Home, fixed

Structure 3 Incidents 51 6 7 1 % 40 4 7 3 % 7 5 61 % 37 (35 ) 74 %

Deaths 6 6 6 72 % 5 4 2 7 3 % 7 6 60 % 4 8 (4 6 ) 73 %

Home,

detached

Structure 4 Incidents 90 12 % 4 8 9 % 38 31 % 4 (1) 8%

Deaths 9 4 10% 51 7% 39 31 % 4 (1) 6%

Home, non

house 5 Incidents 1 9 3 % 1 3 2 % 4 3% 2 (2) 4%

Deaths 2 2 2 % 1 6 2% 4 3% 2 (2) 3%

Temporary

shelter Incidents 6 5 9% 5 8 11% 2 2% 5 (5) 10%

Deaths 9 9 11% 88 12% 2 2% 9 ( 9 ) 14 %

Boat/Vehicle Incidents 1 9 3% 1 6 3% 1 1% 2 (2) 4%

Deaths 26 3% 21 3% 2 2% 3 (3) 5%

Other Incidents 1 2 2% 1 0 2% 2 2% 0 (0) 0%

Deaths 1 5 2% 1 3 2% 2 2% 0 (0) 0%

Not reported Incidents 4 1% 3 1% 1 1% 0 (0) 0%

Deaths 9 1% 8 1% 1 1% 0 (0) 0%

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products , such as (or including ) one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns,

outdoor cooker s, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator and an OEDT (law n mower) were used concurrently.

3 This refers to a fixed

- structure used as a residence

, including : houses, mobile homes, apartments, townhouses

, and structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage.

4 This refers to detached structures at home lo cations, including detached garages and sheds.

5 This refers to non

- fixed location residences, including travel trailers and houseboats. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.Page 20 

## Table 9 presents the number of non

- fire

, C O poisoning deaths reported to CPSC staff and associated

with EDTs

, categorized by the population density of the place of death. All fatal incidents were assigned to one of four rural/urban categories

, based on the Rural

- Urban Commuting Area (RUCA)

codes developed by the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Recently, the four urban/rural categories were changed to delineate further the large urban category. Form erly , the four broad categories were : “ Urban

, ” “ Large Rural

, ” “ Small Rural

, ”

and “ Isolated

. ” In the newer categorization, the “ U rban ” category was divided into “Urban Core”

and “Sub

- Urban

. ” Additionally, the “Small Rural” and “Isolated” categories are now combined into the “Small Rural/Isolated” category. Details on the process of determining population density or rurality can be found at the USDA website at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/Rurality/

. Additional information regarding the cross

- re ferencing of zip codes to RUCA codes can be obtained from the University of Washington, WWAMI 4 

## Rural Health Research Center website at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwruca/

.

Fifty

- six percent ( 518 of 93 1 ) of CO fatalities associated with the use of engine

- driven tools reported to CPSC staff occurred in urban areas
, wh ile the estimated proportion of the U.S. population living in urban core areas is 71 percent

. Forty

- four percent ( 413 of 93 1 ) of CO fatalit ies

occurred in non

- urban core areas (sub

- urban, large rural, and small rural/isolated areas)

, where an

estimated 29 percent of the U.S. population liv es

. There appears to be an unusually high proportion

of fatalities in small rural / isolated areas. Seventeen percent ( 1 57 of 93 1 ) of the CO fatalities known

to CPSC staff to be associated with EDTs occurred in small rural and isolated areas

, where only an estimated nine percent of the U.S. population lives. The high proportion of fatalities in small

ru ral / isolated areas can be explained partly by the fact that 2 2 percent ( 35 of 157) of these occurred in temporary or boat/vehicle location s and not at home location s.

4 The WWAMI name is derived from the first letter of each of the five cooperating s tates in a partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the states Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.Page 21 

## Table 9 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with Engine

Driven Tools by Population Density of Place of Death, 1999

– 2012

Population Density Estimated Percentage

of U.S. Population 1 Number of Deaths Reported to CPSC

All Engine

- Driven

Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

Driven Tools

(OEDTs) Multiple Products 2,3

Total Incident 100% 725 100% 5 52 100% 1 23 100% 50 (45 ) 100%

Deaths 93 1 100% 739 100% 12 6 100% 6 6 ( 61 ) 100%

Urban Core Incident 71% 3 99 55 % 318 58 % 62 50% 19 (19 ) 38 %

Deaths 518 56 % 4 30 58% 6 3 50 % 2 5 (2 5 ) 38 %

Sub

- Urban Incident 10% 101 14% 73 13% 17 14% 11 (7) 22%

Deaths 134 14 % 102 14% 17 13 % 1 5 (11) 2 3 %

Large Rural Incident 10 % 102 14 % 7 1 13 % 21 17 % 10 (9) 20%

Deaths 122 13% 8 8 12% 22 17% 12 (11) 18 %

Small Rural

/Isolated Incident 9 % 1 23 17% 90 16% 23 19% 10 (10) 20%

Deaths 1 57 17% 11 9 16% 24 19 % 1 4 (1 4 ) 21 %

1 Percentages are determined from the e stimated 20 1 0 U.S. population categorized by RUCA designation. U.S. population estimates by RUCA classification were determined by cross

- referencing the WWAMI RUCA zip code table with the 2010 U.S. Census population estimates by zip code area, the most current census data available by zip code area

. 2 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products , such as (or including ) one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

3 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were being used concurrently. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

. WWAMI Rural Research Center at the University of Washington Economic Research Group, USDA.

U.S. Census Bureau , 20 11

.Page 22 

# III. Alarm Usage

Table 10 presents a summary of known CO fatalities characterized by CO alarm usage and alarm

status. In 6 2 percent of the fatal inc idents ( 4 46 of 725 ) and 5 9 percent of reported CO poisoning deaths ( 5 46 of 93 1 ), the presence of a CO alarm at the location of the incident was unknown or unreported. Of the 2 79 fatal incidents (3 85 CO fatalities) associated with engine

- driven tools in

wh ich it was known whether a CO alarm was present or not, a CO alarm was present in only 21 incidents (8%) involving 30 CO fatalities. Of these 21 fatal incidents, the alarm was known to be inoperable in eleven incidents ( 1 8 fatalities) due to missing

, impr operly installed , or possibly

drained batteries in a battery

- powered alarm (non

- plug

- in type)

, or because the alarm was a plug

- in type and power was out at the location of the incident. Nine of the eleven fatal incidents ( 1 6 fatalities) with inoperable alarms were associated with generator usage.

For the remaining 10 fatal incidents ( 12 fatalities) where an alarm was known to be present, the alarm was known to have sounded in only six incidents (six deaths). Four of the six incidents

occurred in an a ttached garage of a home with the alarm sounding inside the house. It is unclear from the incident reports, but, resumably, the death occurred in the garage before CO levels

increased inside the house sufficient to set off the CO alarm. In one incident, the victim’s family reportedly did not understand that the alarm sounding pattern (sounding every few minutes) was indicating CO present in the home ; they thought t he alarm sounding simply meant that the alarm was working. In another incident, the victim was found in a home where a CO alarm was sounding. It is unclear if the alarm trigger ed after the victim became incapacitated by CO poisoning or if the victim simply misunderstood or ignored the signal. There were also six deaths from four incidents

in w hich a CO alarm was present in the house, but it was unknown whether it sounded or if it was operable.Page 23 

## Table 10 : Carbon Monoxide Alarm Usage Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths, 1999

– 2012

CO Alarm Status Number of Deaths and Percentage of Deaths when Alarm Status was Known

All Engine

- Driven Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

- Driven Tools (OEDTs) Multiple Products 1,2

Incidents Deaths % of

Deaths Incidents Deaths % of

Deaths Incidents Deaths % of

Deaths Incidents Deaths % of

Deaths

Total 725 931

- 5 52 739

- 1 23 12 6

- 50 (45 ) 6 6 ( 61 )

-

Alarm Status Known 2 79 385 100% 2 27 326 100% 3 2 34 100% 20 (17) 25 (22) 100%

No Alarm 2 58 355 92% 2 13 303 93% 2 9 31 91% 16 (14) 21 (19) 84%

Alarm Present 21 30 8% 14 23 7% 3 3 9% 4 (3) 4 (3) 16%

Alarmed 6 6 2% 1 1 < 1% 3 3 9% 2 ( 2 ) 2 ( 2 ) 8 %

Did not alarm,

batteries removed or incorrectly

inserted 4 8 2% 4 8 2% 0 0 0% 0 ( 0 ) 0 ( 0 ) 0 %

Did not alarm, plug

- in type, no

power 6 9 2% 4 7 2% 0 0 0% 2 ( 1 ) 2 ( 1 ) 8 %

Non

- working, probable drained battery 1 1 < 1% 1 1 < 1% 0 0 0% 0 ( 0 ) 0 ( 0 ) 0 %

Alarm present,

Unknown if it

alarmed 4 6 2 % 4 6 2% 0 0 0% 0 (0) 0 (0) 0%

Alarm Status Unknown 4 46 5 46

- 325 413

- 91 92

- 30 (28 ) 41 ( 3 9 )

-

1 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products , such as (or including ) one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled hea ters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one case with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

2 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where both a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent re ports. Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

.Page 24 

# IV. Hazard Patterns Associated with Generators

This section presents information about the usage patterns associated with fatal CO poisoning specific to generators, as well as information about the homes where fatal generator incidents

occurred. As of April 2 3 , 201 3 , CPSC staff is aware of 5 9 7 generator

- related incidents from 1999 through 201 2 , which resulted in non

- fi re CO fatalities. Five hundred and fifty

- two of these incidents involved only a generator. The remaining 4 5 incidents involved a generator and another

combustion fuel

- burning consumer product, including one that was another engine

- driven tool. Staff completed In

- D epth Investig ations (IDIs) for 5 7 0 of 5 9 7 ( 9 5 %) fatal CO incidents associated with generators that occurred from 1999 through 201 2 . For the remaining 2 7 incidents in which an IDI was not performed or w as not completed by the April 2 3 , 201 3 cut

- off date, attempts were made to augment the data from reports of the incident in the Injury and Potential Injury Incidents (IPII) records or from death certificate information. Summaries of generator

- related incidents in this

section also include inc idents where multiple fuel

- burning consumer products were involved, including a generator.

A review of records for the 5 9 7 incidents resulting in 800 generator

- related

, non

- fire CO deaths reported to CPSC staff, which includes 5 52 incidents ( 739 fataliti es ) involving a generator alone

and 4 5 incidents ( 6 1 fatalities) involving a generator and another CO

- producing consumer product, suggests two main reasons reported for using a generator. One reason cited was to provide electricity to a location that did not have electricity due to a temporary situation ( e.g ., a power outage), and the other was to provide power after a shutoff to the residence by the utility company due to bill dispute or nonpayment. Table 1 1 provides a breakdown by year

, listing the reas ons why a generator was in use at the time of the incident . Twenty

- e ight percent of the incidents ( 3 0 percent
of the reported deaths) involving generator

- related , non

- fire CO fatalities were associated with the use of generators during a temporary power outage stemming from a weather problem or a problem with power distribution. Nineteen percent of the fatal incidents (19 percent of deaths) were associated with the use of generators after a power shutoff by the utility company for nonpa yment of a bill or a bill dispute . For 17 percent of the fatal incid e nts (16 pe r cent of deaths ), it could not be determined why the generator was in use

, or why there was no electricity at the location of the

incident.Page 25 

## Table 1 1 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities

Associated with Generators 1 

## by Reason for Use, 1999

– 2012

Reason for Use Total 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total Incidents 59 7 6 15 17 38 41 35 80 6 3 5 8 70 4 5 3 6 64 29

Deaths 800 6 21 23 48 57 47 103 9 3 71 9 5 66 45 91 34

Power outage due to weather, or problem with power

distribution Incidents 1 69 3 1 3 12 15 7 37 11 15 19 10 5 1 8 13

Deaths 236 3 1 3 16 20 11 53 17 23 26 17 6 26 14

Electricity turned off by power company due to bill

dispute or nonpayment Incidents 1 16 0 1 1 10 4 6 11 17 13 13 6 1 2 1 7 5

Deaths 1 53 0 2 1 13 5 6 12 23 16 19 9 16 25 6

Provide power to storage shed, trailer, boat, camper, cabin, campsite Incidents 84 0 7 6 5 8 3 8 1 3 8 5 8 2 7 4

Deaths 120 0 11 9 7 10 4 11 19 9 7 11 5 12 5

New home or homeowner, and power not yet turned on,

home under construction or

renovation Incidents 5 7 0 1 1 1 4 10 4 6 5 7 5 5 5 3

Deaths 8 5 0 1 3 1 8 14 6 9 5 13 6 5 10 4

Provide power to home or mobile home that normally

does not have electricity Incidents 3 6 0 1 4 1 1 3 6 3 4 4 3 3 2 1

Deaths 47 0 1 5 1 1 4 6 5 5 5 7 3 2 2

Working on or preparing a home for predicted storm Incidents 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0

Deaths 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0

Provide power to a shed or garage that normally does not have electricity Incidents 9 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 1

Deaths 9 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 1

Other (previous fire in house,

power shut off by owners, servicing power supply, or other usage) Incidents 16 1 2 1 3 0 0 1 1 0 3 2 1 1 0

Deaths 19 1 3 1 4 0 0 1 1 0 3 2 1 2 0

Unknown why electricity off Incidents 10 3 1 1 0 5 8 6 13 11 1 3 13 1 1 7 1 2 2

Deaths 1 2 4 1 1 0 5 12 8 14 1 8 13 1 6 14 8 12 2

1 Number of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers, portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

.



## For the 169 fatal incidents associated with a power outage due to weather or a problem with power distribution, Table 1 2 provides a further breakdown by year and cause of the power outage. Ninety

one percent of the fatal incidents associated with power outages were due to specific weather conditions. Ice or snow storms are associated with the largest percentage of weather

- related COPage 26 

## fatal i nciden ts (4 6 %). Hurricanes a re also associated with a large percentage of CO fatal incidents (29%) over the 1 4

- year period from 1999 to 201 2

. More than 40 percent of the hurricane

- or tropical storm

- related fatal incident s ( 20 of 49 ) occurred in 2005.

Table 1 2 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with

Generators 1 

## by Reason for Power Outage, 1999

– 2012

Reason for Power Outage Total 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total Incidents 1 69 3 1 3 12 15 7 37 11 15 19 10 5 1 8 13

Deaths 2 36 3 1 3 16 20 11 53 17 23 26 17 6 2 6 14

Ice or snow

storm Incidents 7 7 0 0 0 10 5 1 15 6 9 7 9 3 9 3

Deaths 10 7 0 0 0 14 7 2 20 8 13 9 14 4 13 3

Hurricane or tropical storm Incidents 4 9 0 0 0 1 6 5 20 1 0 6 0 0 3 7

Deaths 71 0 0 0 1 9 8 31 1 0 8 0 0 5 8

Wind storm Incidents 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 1

Deaths 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 1 1 0 0 1 1

Thunderstorm or

rainstorm Incidents 1 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 1 1 0 2 2 0

Deaths 1 4 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 1 2 0 2 3 0

Tornado Incidents 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0

Deaths 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0

Storm, unspecified Incidents 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 2

Deaths 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 1 2

Unknown or

other reason for

outage Incidents 1 5 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0

Deaths 20 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 4 2 3 0 1 0

1 Number of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers, portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves. Note: Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety C ommission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

.



## As sho wn in Table 8 above, 542 generator

- related, non

- fire CO fatal ities occurred in a fixed

structure home. The category “ fixed

- structure home ” is defined as a permanent, fixed

- structure
used as a residence, including: houses, mobile homes, apartments, townhouses, and structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage. Travel trailers, campers, and RVs are not included in this classification. Additionally, there were 46 fatalities from m ultiple product

- related

incidents involv ing a generator in a fixed

- structure home.Page 27 

## Of these 588 generator

- related deaths that occurred in a fixed

- structure home, information was

available for 499 deaths (85 % ) regarding the victim’s location in relation t o the generator. One

hundred

- thirteen of these 499 fatalities (23%) occurred in the same room or space as the generator.

The 5 88 deaths that occurred in a fixed

- structure home were the result of 439 incidents (Table 13)

. These incidents were further classified by the specific location of the generator within the home. The category “Living S pace (non

- basement) ” includes rooms reported as bedrooms, bathrooms, dens, living rooms, landings, home offices, rear rooms, enclosed porches, and converte d garages. This category does not include attached garages or basements. The category “Out side the home ” includes incidents where the generator was placed outside a home but near an open window, door,

or vent of the home. S ixty

- s even percent ( 29 5 of 439 ) of the CO fatal incidents at home locations occurred when a generator was placed inside the home, including the living space ( 1 39 ), a basement ( 1 0 8 ), closet ( 6 ), doorway ( 5 ), or inside the house, with no further information provided ( 37 ).

Another 2 6 percent of the fatal incidents (1 1 3 of 439 ) occurred when the generator was placed in an attached g arage, enclosed carport, or attached barn. More than half of the fatal incidents ( 2 21 of

439 ) occurred when the generator was placed in an attached structu re (1 13 ) or in the basement or crawlspace ( 1 08 ).

Review of the yearly fatal incident data in Table 1 3 suggests that since 2004, more fatal incidents were related to generators used in non

- basement l iving areas of the home th a n in any other location

cate gory . Included in the definition of “non

- basement living area of the home” are the categories “Living S pace,” “Closet in H ome,” and “Doorway to H ome.” Not included is the category

, “Inside house, no further information reported

, ” because this could be in the living area or the basement of the house. From 2000 through 2003, there were more fatal CO incidents reported where the generator was placed in the basement or crawl space than in the non

- basement living areas (in 1999, there were an equal number of fatalities reported

, where generators were placed in the basement and the living area). For the years 2004 through 201 2 , more reported fatal CO incidents were associated with generators in non

- basement living areas than in basement or crawl space location s. Of the 82

generator

- associated fatal incidents between 1999 and 2003, the basement was the predominant location of the generator ( 31 of 82 , or 38 %)

, followed by living areas (2 1 of 82 , or 2 6 %), including living space ( 16 ), closets (2), and doorways ( 3 )

, and attached garages and other attached structures ( 18 of 82 , or 2 2 %). From 2004 for ward, there have been 357 reported fatal CO incidents in the home associated with the use of generators. More fatal CO incident s occurred with the generators placed in the non

- basement living areas ( 1 2 9 of 357 , or 3 6 %, including living space ( 1 23 ), closets ( 4 ), and doorways (2)), followed by an attached garage or other structure (9 5 of 357 , or 2 7 %), and then the basement ( 77 of 357 , or 2 2 %). It is unclear why there has been a shift from the basement to the living space, but this may indicate a lack of knowledge by consumers about the severity of the CO dangers associated with the use of generators inside the home.

Sixteen deaths were associated with the use of a generat or placed outside the home. Usually, this involved placing the generator too near an open window or vent. This category also includes an incident where a generator was running outside the home but inside a building ( e.g ., outside an apartment but still i nside the building).Page 28 

## Table 1 3 : Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths in the Fixed

- structure Home

Location 1 

## by Location of the Generator

, 2 

## 1999

– 2012

Generator Location Total 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Tota l Incidents 4 39 5 5 8 32 32 28 55 40 4 4 5 2 3 5 2 9 51 2 3

Deaths 5 88 5 7 10 41 46 38 70 57 5 6 7 1 5 2 3 5 73 27

Living space (non

- basement) Incidents 13 9 2 1 2 5 6 12 17 12 15 20 1 4 13 1 5 5

Deaths 1 84 2 1 2 5 7 18 23 17 19 27 20 13 2 2 8

Garage / enclosed

carport / attached

barn Incidents 1 13 0 1 2 8 7 6 17 13 10 13 8 5 1 3 10

Deaths 1 43 0 2 2 10 8 8 18 20 1 5 1 5 11 6 1 8 10

Basement / crawlspace Incidents 108 2 3 2 12 12 6 12 9 9 11 6 4 1 6 4

Deaths 1 60 2 4 4 18 20 7 15 11 12 20 11 7 2 5 4

Inside house, no further

information

reported Incidents 3 7 1 0 1 3 5 1 2 4 6 5 3 1 3 2

Deaths 4 3 1 0 1 4 7 1 2 4 6 5 5 2 3 2

Closet in home Incidents 6 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0

Deaths 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 3 1 0 1 0 0 0

Outs ide the home Incidents 12 0 0 1 0 1 1 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 1

Deaths 1 6 0 0 1 0 2 2 4 0 2 0 0 1 2 2

Doorway to

home Incidents 5 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Deaths 7 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Unknown location, but at

home Incidents 19 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 3 3 5 3 1

Deaths 22 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 4 4 6 3 1

1 This refers to a fixed

- structure used as a residence, including houses, mobile homes, apartments, townhouses, and structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage. Not included here are incidents that occurred in detached structures at h ome locations ( e.g., detached garages, sheds) or at non

- fixed location residences ( e.g., travel trailers, houseboats)

. 2 Number of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers, portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves. Notes: Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reportin g of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports. Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

.



## Table 1 4 presents a summary of non

- fire CO fatalities that occurred in the fixed

- structure home characterized by ventilation status. Many of the incidents with generator

- associated fatalities in the home ( 193 of the 439 incidents ) did not contain information about the ventilation of the generator.

In 167 of the 246 incident s ( 6 8 %)

, a ccounting for 227 deaths, in which information on ventilation of the generator was available, there was no ventilation being provided when the incident occurred . In

six of these fatal incidents (eight deaths) , a window or door was open during some period of use butPage 29 

## later closed. There were 7 9 incidents associated with generators in which it was reported that some type of ventilation was employed. Of these 79 incidents

, 5 8 were associated with incidents in which it was reported that there was an open or p artially open window, door, garage door, or a

combination of these

, accounting for 73 CO deaths

. As noted here and in Table 13, t welve

incidents ( 16 deaths) were associated with generators that were placed outside the home near open windows, doors, or vents, where carbon monoxide entered the home. In eight incidents ( 18 deaths )

, consumers actively attempted to vent generator exhaust outside through a window o r door

, or through the use of a fan , but these measures failed to adequately vent the CO from the victims’

location. An additional fatal ity occurred when a victim plac ed a generator outside of an apartment
in the unventilated hallway of a building

.

Tab le 1 4 : Non

- Fire CO Fatalities in the Fixed

- structure Home 1 

## Reported to CPSC Staff and

Associated with Generators 2 

## Categorized by Status of Ventilation, 1999

– 2012

Ventilation Status Number of

Incidents Number of

Deaths Percentage

of Deaths Percentage of

Deaths Where

Ventilation is

Known

Non

- fire CO fatalities in the home 4 39 5 88 100% 100%

Some ventilation attempted 7 9 10 8 1 8 % 3 2 %

Open window(s), open door(s), an open garage door, or a combination of these 5 8 73 1 2 % 2 2 %

Actively trying to vent either by fans or by directing exhaust out a window or door 8 1 8 3 % 5 %

Placed outside, but near a window, door or A/C

unit 3 1 2 1 6 3 % 5 %

Placed outside apartment , but inside building 1 1 < 1% < 1%

No ventilation 16 7 2 27 3 9 % 6 8 %

Open windows or doors closed sometime later 6 8 1% 2%

No ventilation attempted 4 1 61 2 19 3 7 % 6 5 %

Unknown ventilation 19 3 2 5 3 4 3 %

-

1 This refers to a fixed

- location structure used as a residence, including houses, mobile homes, apartments, and townhouses, as

well as structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage. Not included here are incidents that occurred in detached structures at home locations ( e.g., detached garages and sheds) or at non

- fixed location residences ( e.g. , travel trailers and houseboats).

2 Numbe r of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers, portable LP fueled heaters, portable kerosene fueled heaters, camp stov es, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves.

3 One incident involved alternately moving the generator outside then inside after the generator would shut off, presumably

because of weather conditions. After a warm

- up period, the generator was ag ain placed outside until it failed again.

4 One death occurred when a generator was placed outside an apartment in an unvented hallway and one occurred when the generator was placed outside a trailer that was located inside an enclosed, unvented garage. Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

. Note: Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.



## Table 1 5 presents a summary of the fatal CO incidents and fatalities characterized by the size of the

home in which the fatalities occurred. For 3 8 percent ( 166 of 439 ) of the fatal incidents ( 217 of 588Page 30 

## deaths ), CPSC staff could not ascertain the size of the home. Home size information was available

for 2 73 of 439 fatal incidents ( 3 71 of the 5 88 deaths ). Information regarding the size of the home reported in this document is from one of two sources. The first source is the CPSC In

- D epth Investigations (IDIs), which inc lude information gathered from police, fire department, or public

records. The second source is from Internet databases of real estate information, which contain public record data

, such as Cyberhomes.com and Zillow.com . In most cases, I nternet databases agree on the size of the home because both databases are based on public records from the county, state, or municipality. Occasionally, the records in the databases do not agree. In that situation, the average of the two or more sizes was used because i t could not be determined which database had the more accurate figure.

Fif ty

- nin e percent ( 1 62 o f 2 73 ) of the reported fatal incidents ( 2 2 5 of 3 71 CO fatalities ) associated with generators that occurred in the home, where the size of the structure was known, occurred in homes that were less than 1,500 square feet, and 8 5 percent ( 2 33 o f 2 73 ) of the reported incidents ( 314 of 3 7 1 deaths) occurred in houses that were less than 2,000 square feet. This portion of the

fatal incident location includes most i ncidents that occurred in apartments and mobile homes. Fatal

incidents that occurred in a detached structure are not included in this figure. The median home size involved in fatal CO poisoning deaths, where home size information is known, was 1,350

squa re feet. As a point of reference, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey for the United States: 2009 , the median housing unit as of 2009 was 1,736 square feet. Comparing the percentages of fatal incidents by home size to the U.S. C ensus figures, it appears

that the fatal CO incidents are skewed toward smaller homes. Whether this is due to economic

reasons or because smaller

- volume structures are filled more quickly by deadly carbon monoxide

, is unclear. Perhaps it is a combination of the two factors

, or some yet unidentified reason.Page 31 

## Table 1 5 : Non

- Fire CO Fatalities in the Fixed

- structure Home 1 

## Reported to CPSC Staff and

Associated with Generators 2 

## Categorized by Size of Home, 1999

– 2012

Home Size (in sq. feet) 2 Number of

Incidents Number of Deaths Percentage of

Incident s Percentage of

Incident s Where

Home Size is

Known Estimated Percentage of U.S.

Housing Units (2009) 4

Total 4 39 5 88 100% 100% 100%

Under 500 1 1 < 1% < 1% 1%

500

– 999 59 75 1 3 % 2 2 % 10%

1,000

– 1,499 102 149 2 3 % 37 % 25%

1,500

– 1,999 71 8 9 1 6 % 2 6 % 24%

2,000

– 2,499 2 5 4 0 6 % 9 % 17%

2,500

– 2,999 7 8 2 % 3 % 9%

3,000 or Larger 8 9 2 % 3 % 14%

Unknown 1 6 6 21 7 3 8 %

- - 1 This refers to a fixed

- location structure used as a residence, including houses, mobile homes, apartments, and townhouses and structures attached to the house, such as an attached garage. Not included here are incidents that occurred in detached stru ctures at home locations ( e.g ., detached garages and sheds) or at no n

- fixed location residences ( e.g ., travel trailers and houseboats)

. 2 Number of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers , portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves.

3 Home size based on CPSC IDIs or from the Internet real estate databases

, Cyberhomes.com and Zillow.com.

4 The 2009 h ousing unit figures are the most current figures available. Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

. U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey for the United States: 2009

. Note: Italicized numbers indicate that reporti ng of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports

.



## The size of the generator and the fuel used with the generator were both examined. The size of the generator was examined by the wattage rating (Table 1 6 ). In most cases, the adverti sed running wattage rating was used to categorize the generator. In some instances, however, a wattage rating

was used in which it could not be determined whether it was the rated running wattage or maximum/surge wattage. When the wattage rating of the g enerator was known or could be determined ( 3 85 investigated deaths from 2 66 incidents ), nearly two

- thirds of the incidents ( 174 incidents, 25 2 deaths ) were associated with a generator in the 3500 to 6499 watt rating range. Nearly half (46%) of the incidents ( 122 incidents, 1 73 deaths ) involving CO fatalities, where the generator size was known, were associated with generators in the 5000 to 6499 watt range.

Almost all of the generators that were involved in the CO poisoning incidents identified in this report were referred to as gas

- or gasoline

- fueled generators. Four incidents ( six deaths) identif y a

propane

- fueled generator as the source of the CO

. In all four of these incidents, the generator was

identified as non

- portable, back up generator.Page 32 

## Table 1 6 : Number of Reported Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Fatalities Associated with

Generators 1 

## Categorized by Generator Wattage Rating, 1999

– 2012

Wattage Rating (in Watts) Total 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total Incidents 597 6 15 17 38 41 35 80 63 58 70 45 36 64 29

Deaths 800 6 21 23 48 57 47 103 9 3 71 9 5 66 45 91 34

Under 2000 Incidents 1 9 0 2 0 3 0 2 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 1

Deaths 23 0 2 0 3 0 2 3 1 5 1 1 2 1 2

2000

– 3499 Incidents 5 6 0 3 3 5 2 2 6 9 5 5 3 2 7 4

Deaths 8 5 0 5 3 7 3 2 8 17 6 8 6 2 12 6

3500

– 4999 Incidents 5 2 0 1 4 1 3 2 10 6 4 9 2 3 6 1

Deaths 79 0 2 8 1 5 2 13 11 7 11 2 5 11 1

5000

– 6499 Incidents 1 22 1 3 3 13 11 11 12 15 9 1 3 8 10 11 2

Deaths 1 73 1 3 4 19 14 18 20 20 9 19 15 12 1 7 2

6500

– 7999 Incidents 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 1 1 3 1

Deaths 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 1 1 5 1

8000 and larger Incidents 6 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0

Deaths 10 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 5 0

Not reported Incidents 3 31 5 6 7 15 25 17 48 3 1 3 7 3 8 29 18 35 20

Deaths 415 5 9 8 17 35 22 58 4 3 42 5 1 40 23 40 22

1 Number of deaths associated with generators includes incidents where other consumer products may also have been involved. Other products include one or more of the following: lawn mowers, portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves.

Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 2013

. Note: Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports.Page 33 

# Conclusion

Between 1999 and 201 2 , there were 93 1 non

- fire CO poisoning deaths from 725 incidents reported

to CPSC staff that was associated with engine

- driven tools. The majority of these deaths ( 739 ) involved generators. Another 6 1 fatalities were associated with both a generator and another consumer product (one involved both a generator and another engine

- driven tool). Other engine

driven tools, including garden tractors, lawn mowers, power washers or sprayers, and others, were associated with a much smaller number of deaths. The majority of fatal incidents reported to CPSC staff involved a single fatality. Most reported dea ths occurred while an individual was at home.

Victims age 25 years and older accounted for about 8 3 percent of the non

- fire CO poisoning deaths that were associated with generators reported to CPSC staff, and the majority ( 7 3 percent ) of the

victims were male. Seventy

- four percent of the reported deaths associated with generators (including deaths associated with the use of a generator and another consumer product) occurred at

fixed

- structure home locations. S ix ty

- nine percent of the fatalities know n to have occurred in the

home and involv ing generators occurred when a generator was placed in the living area or basement of the home. Another 24 percent occurred when a generator was used inside an attached garage or

shed.

Generators were often used as alternative sources of electricity due to temporary power outages or as power sources for temporary shelters. Power outages, most commonly weather

- related, were the single most common reason for generator usage that resulted in a non

- fire CO fatality, accounting

for at least 2 36 of the 800 fatalities ( 30 percent ). Generators were often used with little or no ventilation. In only about eight percent of the fatalities was it known that there was a CO alarm

installed

— and most of these were inoperable at the time of the fatal incident. Conclusions about why consumers used generators indoors or determinations about whether users were aware of the potential non

- fire CO

- poisoning hazard were not possible to make with the available information.

Victims age 25 years and older accounted for 99 percent of the non

- fire CO poisoning deaths reported to CPSC staff that were associated with other engine

- driven tools. Males accounted for 97 percent of the deaths associated with other engine

- driven tools. Deaths ass ociated with garden tractors and lawn mowers were often associated with an individual repairing or working on the product in an enclosed space.

Visit the CPSC’s Carbon Monoxide Information Center

— http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety

Education/Safety

- Education

- Centers/Carbon

- Monoxide

- Information

- Center/

— for the latest information on recalls, safety tips, safety standards, CO alarms, and downloada ble injury prevention

materials.Page 34 

# References

Hnatov, Matthew V. Incidents, Deaths, and In

- Depth Investigations Associated with Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide from Engine

- Driven Generators and Other Engine

- Driven Tools, 1999

- 20 11

. U.S. Consume r Product Safety Commission. July 2012

. http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/129857/cogenerators.pdf

.

Hnatov, Matthew V. Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Associated with the Use of Consumer

Products: 200 9 Annual Estimates

. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. December 201 2

. http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/136146/co12.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau

. American FactFinder

. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010

- State

─ 5

- digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area : 2010 Census Summary File 1

< http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_
GCTPH1.ST09&prodType=table >

U.S. Census Bureau

. American Housing Survey for the United States: 2009

.

< http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/h150

- 09.pdf >

U. S. Census Bureau

. The 2012 Statistical Abstract

- The National Data Book

.

< http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population.html >

U.S. Department of Agriculture

. Briefing Rooms: Measuring Rurality . 7 Nov. 2008

< http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/Rurality/ >

University of Washington, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

. Guidelines for Using Rural

Urban Classification Systems for Public Health Assessment 15 Feb. 2011Page 35 

# Appendix A: Epidemiology Data Retrieval Specifics

The queries below were submitted through EPIR (EPIdemiology Retrieval), CPSC staff’s epidemiology data access application. Query results were reviewed to include only carbon monoxide poisoning incidents and to exclude duplicates and out

- of

- scope cases, which were cases

that did not involve an incident that was as sociated with a non

- fire carbon monoxide exposure and an engine

- driven tool. Records from the three databases that were used in this report (the In

- D epth Investigation database (INDP), the Injury or Potential Injury Incident database (IPII), and the Death Certificate database (DTHS)) were then manually matched up to provide the most complete record and to eliminate additional duplicates.

For this report, a fatal incident was deemed in s cope if none of the following criteria were violated :

• Ca rbon monoxide was the primary or contributing factor in the fatality

.

• The carbon monoxide was not fire

- related

.

• The source of the CO was an engine

- driven tool, or an engine

- driven tool used in conjunction with another non

- fire

- related CO generating source

.

• The fatal inj ury was unintentional in nature

.

• The engine

- driven tool involved was a consumer product

.

• The incident was not w ork

- related.

Date of Queries: 0 5 / 2 3 / 201 3



## Incident Dates: 1/1/99

- 12/31/1 2 Product Codes: 113, 606, 800

- 899, 1062, 1400

- 1464, 3285

- 3287 Diagnosis Codes: 65 (Anoxia), 68 (Poisoning)

– (INDP only) ICD10 Code: X47x, Y17x

– (DTHS only)

Narrative/Text Contains: “ CARB ” or “ MONO ”Page 36 

# Appendix B: Carboxyhemoglobin Levels Present i n CO Fatalities

Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb ) is a complex of carbon monoxide and hemoglobin that forms in red blood cells when carbon monoxide is inhaled. COHb poisoning can be fatal in large doses as it hinders delivery of oxygen to the body. Carboxyhemoglobin data are helpful in estimating the concentration of CO in the product exhaust and the lethality of the product

, which affects the speed of onset of harm. This information may be used by CPSC staff to assist in determining the best way to address the CO hazard presented by generators and ot her engine

- driven tools.

In healthy adults, a COHb level of 40

– 50 percent in the blood approximately correlates with symptoms of confusion, unconsciousness, coma, and possible death; a level of 50

– 70 percent approximately correlates with symptoms of coma, brain damage, seizure, and death; and a level greater than 70 percent is typically fatal. 5 

## COHb levels were available for 53 9 of the 93 1 fatalities (5 8 % of the CO fatalities). Table B

- 1 shows the frequency of reports by COHb level categories. Percentag es in the table are the category proportions of reported COHb levels. Eighty

- one percent (4 36 of the 53 9 ) of fatalities had reported COHb levels of 50 percent or greater.

5 Inkster S.E. Health hazard assessment of CO poisoning associated with emissions from a portable, 5.5 Kilowatt, gasoline

- powered

generator . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 2004.Page 37 

## Table B

- 1: Carboxyhemoglobin Levels Associated with Engine

- Driven Tools Non

- Fire Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths, 1999

– 2012

COHb Level Number of Deaths 1

All Engine

- Driven Tools (EDTs) Generators Other Engine

- Driven

Tools (OEDTs) Multiple Products 2,3

Total 93 1

- 739

- 12 6

- 6 6 ( 61 )

-

Reported Levels 53 9 100% 426 100% 73 100% 40 (35 ) 100%

Less than 30% 2 4 4 % 19 4 % 2 3 % 3 (3) 8%

30

– 39.9% 30 6% 24 6% 5 7 % 1 (1) 3%

40

– 49.9% 49 9% 40 9% 9 12 % 0 (0) 0%

50

– 59.9% 107 20% 88 21% 11 15 % 8 (8) 20 %

60

– 69.9% 1 51 28 % 1 21 28% 18 2 5 % 12 (9 ) 30 %

70

– 79.9% 136 25 % 102 2 4 % 19 26% 15 (13) 38%

80

– 89.9% 3 7 7% 2 7 6 % 9 12 % 1 (1) 3%

90

– 99.9% 5 1% 5 1% 0 0% 0 (0) 0%

Not reported 3 9 2

- 3 13

- 53

- 2 6 (2 6 )

-

1 Percentages shown are the percentage of reported COHb levels per category.

2 “Multiple Products” includes incidents involving generators or OEDTs with other CO

- generating consumer products , such as (or including ) one or more of the following: portable LP

- fueled heaters, portable kerosene

- fueled heaters, camp stoves, lanterns, outdoor cookers, furnaces, and wood stoves, and one c ase with a generator and another engine

- driven tool (lawn mower) in operation.

3 Numbers in parentheses indicate incidents involving a generator and another product, including the case where a generator and an OEDT (lawn mower) were used concurrently.

Notes : Totals may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Italicized numbers indicate that reporting of incidents is ongoing. Counts may change in subsequent reports. Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Directorate for Epidemiology, 201 3

.