Twenty-one people treated for carbon monoxide exposure while boating at Lake Powell

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Five people were treated at St. George Regional Hospital on Wednesday after they were exposed to carbon monoxide while boating on Lake Powell. Sixteen other people also suffered symptoms but did not require hospitalization and received treatment on the boat.

The group was on a houseboat near Face Canyon when they began experiencing nausea, dizziness and headaches. National Park Service rangers responded to the call for help.

Officials said this is the third exposure to carbon monoxide, related to boating, on the lake this month.

“It’s hot, and they have air conditioners in there,” said Jon Paxon with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. “Those air conditions are run by generators. Or, if somebody turns the boat motor on and leaves the boat motor running too long and has a window open, where that carbon monoxide is allowed back into the boat. That’s where some of those problems can start.” 

Remain vigilant about carbon monoxide while boating

Paxon said people boating on Lake Powell must remain vigilant about the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Know that that is a possibility if you’re spending the night on the lake,” he said. “Be very aware of that. It is a problem that we see all too often.”

The five people who were hospitalized were released a few hours later.

Carbon monoxide is tasteless and odorless and can be deadly if inhaled.

The cause is under investigation.

Suggested other reading:

• Carbon monoxide scare evacuates Smith’s grocery store in Sandy
• Lake Powell missing 40,000 acre feet of water after accidental release, officials say
• Utah, other Colorado River Basin states want to ensure conserved water gets to Lake Powell