carbon monoxide boating deaths

NBC news had a story tonight about boating deaths from carbon monoxide. What surprised me is that they said a person could die from simply taking in a breath or a few breaths from the carbon monoxide trapped beneath a fiberglass swim platform.

I was surprised because I previously assumed:
1.) that carbon monoxide poisoning required more than a few breaths – I thought carbon monoxide poisoning would require 5 minute or more of breathing in carbon monoxide fumes
2.) that any carbon monoxide under a boat’s swim platform would drift away and not be very concentrated... it's not an "enclosed" space - only has 1 side and 1 "roof".

Is it true that you can die from a few breaths of carbon monoxide? If so integrated exhaust might be a real lifesaver compared to transom or even through the prop exhaust (if when idling that might still end up under the platform). If that’s even enough (what if the breeze is blowing back towards the swim platform… maybe the old open teak platforms will come back in fashion.)

[gonzo]

There were a few deaths some time ago from exhaust gases under the swim platform. I can't recall the name of the houseboat manufacturer, but it collected enough gas to poison swimers next to the stern.

The Coast Guard has a fairly extensive site with lots of links on this subject at its boating safety site. www.uscg.mil is the basic USCG starting site, but you will have to find the boating safety link from here

[J & J]

It was 1984 and we had taken a day trip to Biscayne Bay in Miami. The trip was down the ICW from Ft Lauderdale and was all day. In the late afternoon it began to rain like it always does in south Florida. My daughter hunkered down next to the engine dog house curled up and pulled a rain jacket over her head and did the thirteen year old girl trick of squeezing her self into a ball.
About an hour and a half later our eyes began to sting a little and I smelled fumes. The exhaust hose had burned through and not only was the boat filling with water but fumes. I shook my little girl and got no responce. Thinking she had gon to sleep I did the mean dad thing and pulled the rain jacket off thinking that her bikini clad body would spring to life in the cold rain. Shock was next to come as she was not responding at all. I took her to the bow and did cpr for a while and she came around thank God.
This was a lesson hard learned she was sick for a couple of days. She suffered no brain damage and recovered from carbon monoxide poisining.

[J & J]

One more bit of information. I worked as a diver for many years we only used diesel air compressors and monoleck oil in the air pump. The reason is that you don't get the monoxide from the diesel and also the same with the oil regular oil will make enough toxin to poison a diver because the gas is being forced into your body at a high rate of saturation.

Talking about carbon monoxide, this company has basically fixed
that problem. www.jetpac.us

[SailDesign]

"Guest" seems to have a lot to say about the jetpac thingy in every forum available. Could there be a connection?
Why not just post it in the "marketplace" section and stop the incredibly transparent spam attempts?

[Willallison]

Carbon monoxide is not a toxc gas - you don't die as a result of inhaling it. You die as a result of asphyxia - the CO displaces oxygen, so as a result, you drown in the CO in just the same way as you would in water.