Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0008-0288
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2005-11-17T05:00Z

Darla
Cook
<
dcook@
foreverresorts.
com>
Sent
by:
Darla
Cook,
dcook@
foreverresorts.
com
To:
Mike
Samulski.
samulski.
michael@
epa.
gov
Received
Date:

11/
16/
2005
07:
16
PM
Transmission
Date:

11/
16/
2005
07:
16:
03
PM
NIOSH
TO
TEST
CARBON
MONOXIDE
LEVELS
ON
NEVADA
HOUSEBOATS
During
August
2000
at
Lake
Powell
on
the
Arizona­
Utah
border,
two
brothers
drowned
as
a
result
of
carbon
monoxide
(
CO)
poisoning
as
they
swam
near
the
stern
of
a
privately
owned
houseboat
while
the
onboard
gasoline­
powered
generator
was
operating.
The
deaths
triggered
a
national
investigation
of
the
problem
by
NIOSH.

The
following
is
a
new
development
in
the
elimination
of
carbon
monoxide
produced
from
generators.

Editors:
Digital
Images
of
the
testing
will
be
available
If
you
require
additional
information
or
would
like
to
have
contact
numbers
for
interviews,
I
will
be
glad
to
assist.

Darla
Cook
602­
432­
7549
dcook@
foreverresorts.
com
NIOSH
TO
TEST
CARBON
MONOXIDE
LEVELS
ON
NEVADA
HOUSEBOATS
~
FOREVER
RESORTS
HOUSEBOATS
WILL
BE
THE
FIRST
FLEET
WITH
NEW
LOW
CARBON
MONOXIDE
GENERATORS
~

Las
Vegas,
Nevada
 
November
4,
2005
 
The
United
States
Coast
Guard,
and
researchers
from
the
National
Institute
for
Occupational
Safety
and
Health
(
NIOSH)
will
assemble
November
17,
2005
at
Forever
Resorts
Callville
Bay
Marina
on
Lake
Mead
to
run
final
carbon
monoxide
testing
on
Safe­
CO
 
generators.
They
will
gather
to
evaluate
the
performance
of
a
new
Westerbeke
Corporation's
Safe­
CO
 
generators
to
reduce
deadly
carbon
monoxide
(
CO)
gas
aboard
houseboats.

Earlier
this
year,
Forever
Resorts
fitted
two
rental
houseboats
from
their
luxury
fleet
with
Safe­
CO
 
generators
to
test
their
effectiveness.
Westerbeke's
Safe­
CO
 
generators
were
used
to
generate
electricity
on
the
Forever
Houseboats
under
real­
life
conditions
with
one
goal
 
to
prevent
boat­
related
carbon
monoxide
poisonings.
While
NIOSH's
final
written
report
has
not
yet
been
released,
Forever
Resorts
finds
the
preliminary
on­
water
measurements
very
reassuring
with
regard
to
enhanced
safety.

Westerbeke
began
developing
the
new
technology
2
½
years
ago
to
develop
new
technologies
in
gasolinefueled
generators
and
effectively
reduce
CO
danger
onboard
boats.
Westerbeke
is
anxious
to
have
NIOSH
to
accurately
verify
the
long
term
performance
of
their
generators
and
show
that
houseboating
can
now
be
made
much
safer.

More
than
570
boat­
related
CO
poisonings
from
generator
or
propulsion
engine
exhaust
were
identified
from
the
mid­
1980s
to
present,
and
CO
concentrations
on
boats
of
all
kinds
were
measured
by
NIOSH.

In
2000,
Forever
Resorts
requested
NIOSH
to
test
their
houseboats
for
CO
levels
by
volunteering
to
have
their
houseboats
be
used
as
the
baseline
for
their
testing.
As
a
result,
Forever
Resorts
participated
in
numerous
tests
of
proposed
CO
control
methods
to
use
on
their
rental
houseboats.
Before
the
start
of
the
2003
boating
season,
Forever
Resorts
had
installed
the
most
effective
controls
available
on
every
houseboat
in
their
fleet.

Committed
to
providing
the
safest
houseboat
fleet
to
their
customers,
John
Stenseth,
general
manager
of
Forever
Resorts'
Fun
Country
Marine
Industries
approached
vendors
to
suggest
a
cooperative
partnership
in
the
development
of
a
safer
generator
for
their
houseboats.
"
Working
with
Westerbeke,
as
they
began
developing
a
generator
that
emitted
less
CO
than
the
conventional
generators,
we
were
encouraged.
But
after
the
testing
of
the
new
Safe­
CO
 
generator
earlier
this
year
 
we
are
definitely
excited,"
stated
Stenseth.
"
Providing
a
safe
environment
for
the
boating
public
aboard
our
boats
is
the
reason
we're
here."

Until
Westerbeke
created
Safe­
CO
 
,
marine
generator
exhaust
contained
very
high
concentrations
of
CO.
Earlier
NIOSH
investigations
showed
when
a
generator
is
in
operation,
CO
concentrations
under
and
near
a
boat's
rear
deck
can
be
25
times
greater
than
1200
ppm
(
parts
per
million),
the
level
considered
to
be
immediately
dangerous
to
life
and
health.

It
has
now
been
a
full
season
of
operation
of
the
Safe­
CO
 
marine
generator.
NIOSH
intends
to
return
to
Lake
Mead
National
Recreation
Area
on
the
17th
to
re­
test
the
houseboats
with
Safe­
CO
 
generators
again
and
verify
the
generators
maintain
their
low­
emission
performance.
Westerbeke
technology
indicates
recreational
boating
can
be
made
safer.
Both
Westerbeke
and
Forever
Resorts
have
taken
the
position
the
boating
public
should
insist
on
the
lowest
obtainable
CO
emissions
limits.

About
Forever
Resorts
The
Forever
Resorts
family
of
companies,
based
in
Arizona
since
its
inception
in
1981,
owns
and
operates
properties
in
national
parks,
recreation
areas,
national
forests,
and
choice
destinations
of
North
America,
Europe
and
South
Africa.
The
firm
is
a
leading
hospitality
provider
with
significant
experience
in
lodging,
marinas,
food
service,
retail
operations
and
is
a
respected
industry
leader
in
houseboat
manufacturing
and
luxury
houseboat
vacation
rentals.
Each
Forever
Resorts'
location
is
certified
to
ISO
14001:
1996,
including
its
corporate
headquarters.
As
of
2005,
nineteen
Forever
Resorts
locations
have
been
awarded
EPA
National
Environmental
Performance
Track
membership
 
a
voluntary
program
for
facilities
that
consistently
exceed
regulatory
requirements,
work
closely
with
their
communities
and
excel
in
protecting
the
environment
and
public
health.
For
more
information
visit
the
company
website
at
www.
ForeverResorts.
com
About
Westerbeke
Safe­
CO
 
Westerbeke
Corporation
is
over
70
years
old
and
is
a
leading
manufacturer
of
gasoline
and
diesel­
fueled
marine
engines
and
generators.
They
are
a
major
supplier
to
the
houseboat
industry,
including
the
largest
manufacturers
and
rental
facilities.
Safe­
CO
 
generators,
the
result
of
a
multi­
year
development
program,
use
a
combination
of
innovative
engineering
(
patents
pending)
and
electronic
fuel
injection
(
EFI)
to
achieve
safety­
enhancing
and
environmentally
friendly
ultra­
low
CO
emissions.
The
company
offers
a
range
of
Safe­
CO
 
models
from
5
kW
of
electrical
power
up
to
22.5
kW,
enough
to
power
the
largest
of
today's
houseboats.
Westerbeke
is
a
privately
owned
company,
based
in
Taunton,
Massachusetts.
Additional
information
is
available
at
www.
safeCOproducts.
com
or
www.
westerbeke.
com
.

###

For
additional
information:
Darla
Cook
602­
432­
7549
cell
dcook@
foreverresorts.
com
Note
to
Editors:
An
image
of
"
Forever
Earth"
and
the
Safe­
CO
 
may
be
attached
to
this
release.
If
not,
it
can
be
downloaded
from
Westerbeke
at
www.
westerbeke.
com/
news/
media_
resources.
cfm
;
digital
images
may
also
be
obtained
by
calling
Tom
Sutherland
at
508.823.7677,
ext.
231.
The
final
report
on
"
An
evaluation
of
catalytic
emissions
controls
and
vertical
exhaust
stacks
to
prevent
carbon
monoxide
poisonings
from
houseboat
generator
exhausts"
(
U.
S.
Department
of
Health
&
Human
Services,
Report
number
EPHB
171­
36a,
September
2005)
details
government
testing
of
Safe­
CO
 
generators
and
can
be
accessed
at
http://
www.
cdc.
gov/
niosh/
surveyreports/
pdfs/
ectb­
171­
36a.
pdf