April 2008
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Our Challenge
- We were retained to evaluate the safety of the design of a mobile home, after carbon monoxide (CO) exposure led to two deaths.
Our Approach
- Multiple simulation tests were performed using the same recreational vehicle (RV), in order to recreate all possible exposure scenarios.
Our Findings
- The study confirmed that prior damage to the vehicle had an impact on CO concentrations in the vehicle. The undercarriage of the RV was not repaired properly and carbon monoxide that entered the vehicle was from the generator exhaust.
- Sadly, the CO monitor inside the motor home was disconnected, which would have otherwise alerted the couple of the rising CO levels.
- Overall, results indicated that improperly repaired damage to the RV was the cause of the fatalities.