Carbon monoxide should be a concern of every boater, particularly
boaters with gasoline fueled engines and generators.

Seldom does a year go by when there aren't fatalities directly
attributable to CO emmissions in gasoline exhaust. Gasoline generators
have been particualry worrisome. Generators are often running when a
boat is at a dock or at anchor where the vessel is more likely to
become surrounded by a cloud of exhaust gasses than when underway.

Boaters without gasoline engines may be at risk from the emissions of
boaters nearby. In 2003, there were 160 incidents of
"outside-the-cabin" Co poisonings, resulting in 48 deaths. At Lake
Havasu, Arizona, over Memorial Day weekend, 2004, shoreshide and
on-water CO levels were so dangerous that the park wardens had to be
removed for their personal safety.

Westerbeke developed a new line of gasoline generators designed to all
but eliminate CO emmissions. While there may be no "healthy" level of
CO, various government and industrial safety organizations have
established limits, based on a part-per-million measurement, for
"acceptably safe" exposure.

A traditional gasoline generator emits CO at a rate of about 10,000
ppm. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
(NIOSH), recommends that workers should not be exposed to more
concentrations greater than 35 ppm measured during a time-weighted work
shift and has set a ceiling limit of 200 ppm which should never be
exceeded. The American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists
(ACGIH) recommends an 8 hour shift average of no more than 25 ppm, and
discourages exposure above 125 ppm.
OSHA has established a maximum 8-hour work shift limit of 50 ppm.
Exhaust from typical gaoline powered marine generator is 200 times
higher than the OSHA recommended level and 400 times higher than the
benchmark extablished by ACGIH.

Westerbeke's new Safe-CO (tm) Series Generators utilize a "constant
speed" EFI technology and an electronic governor, among other
improvements, to produce gasoline generators that emit almost no CO.
Westerbeke's 5.0kW generator runs at a constant 1800 rpm (not 3600)
under full or partial load and produces CO at levels of less than 3
ppm. Not 10,000, not 3,000, not 300, not 30- but 3 ppm or only about 6%
of the concentration that OSHA considers acceptable in a workplace
environment. An additional benefit of the 1800 rpm operation is that
the 5.0kW generator can be installed without a sound shield.

Even with one of Westerbeke's Safe-CO generators, nobody will be
deliberately piping the genset exhaust aboard. A proper exhaust system,
properly maintained, will continue to be crucial. Even so, boaters with
a Westerbeke Safe-Co generator can sleep just a bit easier with the
knowledge that nearly all risk of CO poisoning from generator emissions
has been eliminated by Westerbeke's new clean burning technology.

(Send me a legit e-mail address if you would like to view a video file
of a Safe-CO generator being electronically tested at the Westerbeke
quality assurance laboratory. I'll send a video file by return email.)