carbonmarine
01-06-2004, 01:32 PM
Begining of the end is near..... **** that sucks ! ... First the noise laws, now this is coming .... In so far as I am concerned, 2004
is probley the last year we'll have it the way it is, was and the way I'll always remember .... Theres a change in the wind a com'in.....
Rick32
This from the havasu paper today....State official: CO 'obvious' hazard.
By Brian Wedemeyer
A federal health agency has signed off on a state report that identified carbon monoxide exposure in Bridgewater Channel last Memorial Day weekend as a public health hazard.
The Arizona Department of Health Services, which assisted with air quality testing that weekend in Lake Havasu City at the request of Mohave County officials, prepared the report in June.
“Not often in environmental health do you see a health hazard that obvious,” said Will Humble, bureau chief for epidemiology and disease control, in a phone interview Monday with Today’s News-Herald.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Control, which helped finance the stateÂ’s investigation, last week certified the report as in accordance with approved practices. The agency is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health Services.
The Channel, which flows beneath the London Bridge, has been the subject of growing concerns about open-air carbon monoxide poisoning from boat exhaust. Hundreds of boaters gather there on busy summer weekends. Carbon monoxide has been linked to at least three drownings at or near the Channel since 2001.
“Something has to be done,” said Humble, who participated in the testing. “There is a serious health hazard on those busy summer weekends.”
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also participated in some testing over Memorial Day weekend. Of the 77 public safety employees that took breath tests, 54 exceeded federal safety limits.
That same weekend, 31-year-old Mark Tostado of Huntington Beach, Calif. drowned in the Channel. A medical examiner later identified carbon monoxide as a secondary cause of death with alcohol listed as a contributing factor.
The Tostado family has since filed $2 million wrongful death claims against both the city and county, alleging that they did not adequately warn boaters or take corrective action. County Health Director Patti Mead declined comment Monday.
Last April, the city hired Sonoma Technology, Inc., of Petaluma, Calif., to assist with an air quality evaluation in the Channel. A final report initially was expected to arrive in October.
On Monday, city spokesman Charlie Cassens said there is still no word from the consultant.
“We don’t expect we’ll be seeing any conditions that will present a hazard until Memorial Day,” Cassens said. “That should give use time to review the report and the data prior to boating season. But we don’t want to put it off any longer than necessary. We would like to see the report.”
Councilman Don Clark said he wants to see more sense of urgency regarding the report.
“It takes time to pass ordinances and put policies in place,” Clark said. “We need to light a fire under them to get that report back so we can make some decisions.”
You may contact the reporter at bwedemeyer@havasunews.com.
is probley the last year we'll have it the way it is, was and the way I'll always remember .... Theres a change in the wind a com'in.....
Rick32
This from the havasu paper today....State official: CO 'obvious' hazard.
By Brian Wedemeyer
A federal health agency has signed off on a state report that identified carbon monoxide exposure in Bridgewater Channel last Memorial Day weekend as a public health hazard.
The Arizona Department of Health Services, which assisted with air quality testing that weekend in Lake Havasu City at the request of Mohave County officials, prepared the report in June.
“Not often in environmental health do you see a health hazard that obvious,” said Will Humble, bureau chief for epidemiology and disease control, in a phone interview Monday with Today’s News-Herald.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Control, which helped finance the stateÂ’s investigation, last week certified the report as in accordance with approved practices. The agency is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health Services.
The Channel, which flows beneath the London Bridge, has been the subject of growing concerns about open-air carbon monoxide poisoning from boat exhaust. Hundreds of boaters gather there on busy summer weekends. Carbon monoxide has been linked to at least three drownings at or near the Channel since 2001.
“Something has to be done,” said Humble, who participated in the testing. “There is a serious health hazard on those busy summer weekends.”
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also participated in some testing over Memorial Day weekend. Of the 77 public safety employees that took breath tests, 54 exceeded federal safety limits.
That same weekend, 31-year-old Mark Tostado of Huntington Beach, Calif. drowned in the Channel. A medical examiner later identified carbon monoxide as a secondary cause of death with alcohol listed as a contributing factor.
The Tostado family has since filed $2 million wrongful death claims against both the city and county, alleging that they did not adequately warn boaters or take corrective action. County Health Director Patti Mead declined comment Monday.
Last April, the city hired Sonoma Technology, Inc., of Petaluma, Calif., to assist with an air quality evaluation in the Channel. A final report initially was expected to arrive in October.
On Monday, city spokesman Charlie Cassens said there is still no word from the consultant.
“We don’t expect we’ll be seeing any conditions that will present a hazard until Memorial Day,” Cassens said. “That should give use time to review the report and the data prior to boating season. But we don’t want to put it off any longer than necessary. We would like to see the report.”
Councilman Don Clark said he wants to see more sense of urgency regarding the report.
“It takes time to pass ordinances and put policies in place,” Clark said. “We need to light a fire under them to get that report back so we can make some decisions.”
You may contact the reporter at bwedemeyer@havasunews.com.