Afterdamp

Afterdamp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust.[1] It consists of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen. Hydrogen sulfide, another highly toxic gas, may also be present. However, it is the high content of carbon monoxide which kills by depriving victims of oxygen by combining preferentially with haemoglobin in the blood.

Afterdamp was the deadly gas which caused the majority of casualties in the many pit disasters of the British coalfields, such as the Senghenydd colliery disaster and elsewhere in the world. Such disasters continue to afflict working mines, especially in mainland China.

Detection
Domestic canary

Animal sentinels, such as mice or canaries, are more sensitive to the gas than humans, so will give a warning to miners. Canaries were introduced into British collieries in the 1890s by John Scott Haldane, the noted physiologist. Gas detectors are available now which detect toxic gases such as carbon monoxide at very low levels. They are widely available to protect domestic premises. The levels of gas detection depend on the methods used.

gollark: The UK is at least among the least worst ones and does lots of scientific research.
gollark: I'm mostly resigned to the fact that most countries around have horrible flaws of some kind.
gollark: But bizarrely indirected and still referred to as debt everywhere even though something like 2/3 of the time it isn't paid off.
gollark: It's effectively a 30-year tax on graduate incomes.
gollark: Also, the UK's situation with universities is vaguely weird, because student debt doesn't actually work like other debt.

See also

References
  1. "After-damp". A Glossary of Mining and Metallurgical Terms. Easton, Pennsylvania: American Institute of Mining Engineers. 1881.
  • J S Haldane and J G Priestley, Respiration, Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. (1935)
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