Hidden Boating Hazard: Carbon Monoxide

Hattie Kauffman: Engines, Generators, Propane Heaters Produce It

(CBS)  Cpl. Herman said, "Mr. Meredith was listening to music and his CD player was still on when we found him, so they had no warning and no indication that anything was even going on."

"You fall asleep, and then you're dead?" asked Kauffman.

"That's correct," Herman responded.

Investigators believe the family became victims of what's known in boating as the "station wagon effect," Kauffman explains. It occurs when boats travel at low speeds with the rear loaded down and the bow in the air. Exhaust is sucked in from the rear and accumulates inside the cabin.

But, Kauffman adds, you don't even have to be on a boat to be overcome by carbon monoxide. When boats are bunched together in a small area, the very air can become deadly.

Three years ago, Mark Tostado was poisoned while standing in a busy boat channel in Lake Havasu, Ariz.

His sister, Beverly Tostado, told Kauffman the medical examiner said "with the amount of carbon monoxide in his system, he passed out and was not able to save himself."

Yet another source of carbon monoxide poisoning: teak surfing.

As participants ride the wake behind their boat, Kauffman notes, they breathe in what could be deadly concentrations of carbon monoxide.

A handful of states have now banned teak surfing after hearing testimony from heartbroken parents.

Experts recommend installing marine-rated carbon monoxide detectors.

In California, boats with inboard motors must display stickers warning of the danger of carbon monoxide. The stickers aren't required in Idaho, where the Meredith family died.

Marcy Smith, Natalie's mother, tearfully told Kauffman she keeps thinking it's all a bad dream: "That's what's the hardest, 'cause she was such a bubbly person, so outgoing, and to not be able to ever see her face again, or hold her, or hold little Jonathon in my arms again, it just seems like life is really unfair."

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FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION ON CARBON MONOXIDE AND BOATING, VISIT THESE SITES OR CALL THESE NUMBERS:

United States Coast Guard
[phone]

American Boat & Yacht Council, Inc.
[phone]

National Marine Manufacturers Association
[phone]

California Department of Boating and Waterways

For information about carbon monoxide detectors:

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