'Gas, gas, gas!'

[alant]

Steelworks, mid70s, blast furnace, serious CO risk. Foreman walking past the base, falls over, electrician goes to rescue him, falls over. BA clad men got them away, was touch and go. They fed them pure oxygen BUT it took days before they recovered, there were concerns about brain damage. As others have said, CO fills red blood corpuscles and is hard to get rid of. This stops oxygen being taken around the body.
We had the same situation offshore Angola. H2S does the same. Strong concentration and you fall over, unconscious!
Stu

Used to work in an old chemical plant using CO as a process gas, with many leaks.
Victims of gassing, were usually walked around in fresh air until 'recovered'.
H2S, I understood was similar to HCN, in its poisoning effect.
Smoking in some atmospheres, can also kill - if any trichloroethylene in the atmosphere (used to be used in drycleaners/degreasers) is inhaled through a hot cigarette tip, it forms phosgene (used in WW1 trenches).

Dangerous world we live in.

 

[Heckler]

Used to work in an old chemical plant using CO as a process gas, with many leaks.
Victims of gassing, were usually walked around in fresh air until 'recovered'.
H2S, I understood was similar to HCN, in its poisoning effect.
Smoking in some atmospheres, can also kill - if any trichloroethylene in the atmosphere (used to be used in drycleaners/degreasers) is inhaled through a hot cigarette tip, it forms phosgene (used in WW1 trenches).

Dangerous world we live in.

We used to use "trike" as a degreaser, this was in the days when I used to smoke! It did make the ciggies taste "funny"
By the way, H2S works in the same way as CO, it binds better to the red blood cells than oxygen
stu

 

[VicS]

Used to work in an old chemical plant using CO as a process gas, with many leaks.
Victims of gassing, were usually walked around in fresh air until 'recovered'.
H2S, I understood was similar to HCN, in its poisoning effect.
Smoking in some atmospheres, can also kill - if any trichloroethylene in the atmosphere (used to be used in drycleaners/degreasers) is inhaled through a hot cigarette tip, it forms phosgene (used in WW1 trenches).

Dangerous world we live in.

The danger of smoking, or even contact with hot surfaces, applies to other chlorinated solvents too .

The safety section of one of my old Chemistry practical books simply says "instantly fatal" under HCN but I knew one guy who was very susceptible to it. Slightest whiff and he passed out but recovered when out in fresh air again...... quite a useful bod to have in the lab when working with cyanide..... if he passed out you knew to open a few windows.

 

[prv]

if any trichloroethylene in the atmosphere (used to be used in drycleaners/degreasers) is inhaled through a hot cigarette tip, it forms phosgene

I remember the teflon-impregnated stern-gland packing I used on KS had a specific warning against accidentally getting offcuts mixed up in your pipe tobacco! Apparently it produces something very nasty when burned and inhaled.

Pete

 

[VicS]

I remember the teflon-impregnated stern-gland packing I used on KS had a specific warning against accidentally getting offcuts mixed up in your pipe tobacco! Apparently it produces something very nasty when burned and inhaled.

Pete

Dont burn your Teflon coated cookware either

 

[prv]

Dont burn your Teflon coated cookware either

I think the odds of mistaking it for pipe tobacco are slim

Pete

 

[nigelmercier]

I've just posted this in the other CO thread,

"Kidde 7DCOC 10 Years Carbon Monoxide Alarm Digital" under half price at the moment: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00ABGEL62/dolcetto-21

 

[Uricanejack]

Do CO alarms, pick up other gases, such as Butane/Propane then?

I believe the answere is no.
There may be a detector for multiple gasses but have not heard of one. the test for different gasses is quite different

 

[aquaplane]

Butane and Propane can set off a CO detector along with lots of other vapours giving false alarms, but it usually takes fairly high levels.

If the alarm goes off with CO or Butane/Propane, since the action to take with any of the gasses is the same, I wouldn't consider it a false alarm.

I believe that H2S is much more toxic than HCN, but it is much more easily detected, by smell, too. Both nasty gasses. You aren't likely to come across them on a boat though.

 

[alant]

The danger of smoking, or even contact with hot surfaces, applies to other chlorinated solvents too .

The safety section of one of my old Chemistry practical books simply says "instantly fatal" under HCN but I knew one guy who was very susceptible to it. Slightest whiff and he passed out but recovered when out in fresh air again...... quite a useful bod to have in the lab when working with cyanide..... if he passed out you knew to open a few windows.

Was his nickname 'Budgie'?

 

[alant]

I've just posted this in the other CO thread,

"Kidde 7DCOC 10 Years Carbon Monoxide Alarm Digital" under half price at the moment: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00ABGEL62/dolcetto-21

Apparently, as mentioned on these forums some time ago, these CO alarms have a limited life, due to the sensors, so need renewing from time to time. Not like smoke alarms, which seem to just need new batteries.

 

[prv]

Apparently, as mentioned on these forums some time ago, these CO alarms have a limited life, due to the sensors, so need renewing from time to time. Not like smoke alarms, which seem to just need new batteries.

The Kidde one will warn you when it reaches the end of its life.

On the other hand, what about conventional gas alarms? We've inherited one on Ariam, but chances are it's original with the boat (or at least fitted early in her life) and fifteen years old. Do the sensors on these expire as well?

Pete

 

[[2574]]

I believe the answere is no.
There may be a detector for multiple gasses but have not heard of one.

I have a gas and CO alarm in one unit; known as a "DualWatch" alarm. Quite pricey but it has worked faultlessly for the past five years. I'm struggling to see one for sale now on the web; maybe they're no longer made. Here is a link to detail: http://www.lpgasmagazine.co.uk/dual-watch-lpgco-detector-making-safety-simple/

 

[nigelmercier]

what about conventional gas alarms... Do the sensors on these expire as well?

They do if they get wet. Never mount them in a shallow bilge.

 

[prv]

They do if they get wet. Never mount them in a shallow bilge.

Mm. It's just above sole level, below the cooker, but she's an ex charter boat so anything's possible. I'm meaning to test it with a squirt of gas from the ship's blowtorch, which I guess would reveal if it's been dunked and stopped working, but I'm wondering whether I also need to consider time-expiry?

Pete

 

[alant]

Mm. It's just above sole level, below the cooker, but she's an ex charter boat so anything's possible. I'm meaning to test it with a squirt of gas from the ship's blowtorch, which I guess would reveal if it's been dunked and stopped working, but I'm wondering whether I also need to consider time-expiry?

Pete

Aftershave works just as well.

 

[Seajet]

Well I've just ordered a Kidde CO2 alarm from Amazon, the job with an audio alarm as I think that's pretty essential.

So with a fair few of us doing this, a tiny bit of good has come out of the tragedy on Windermere, I always feel that when people have died to show us lessons it would be insulting to their sacrifice not to act on them.

 

[oldbilbo]

"....I always feel that when people have died to show us lessons it would be insulting to their sacrifice not to act on them....."

Hoi, shagnasty! I LIVED to show you lot lessons....! http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?288854-Close-calls-this-season&highlight=lady%20campanula.

Act on 'em.... or drop dead!

 

[nathanlee]

I fell asleep last night. The oven was on. I woke up four hours later wondering why it was so warm, then it twigged.

I'm definitely getting an alarm, and as soon as I can afford it, a new non-gas oven. I hate gas on boats... or anywhere really.