Whitedamp

Whitedamp is a noxious mixture of gases formed by the combustion of coal, usually in an enclosed environment such as a coal mine. The most toxic constituents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. Coal frequently starts to burn slowly in mines when it is exposed to the atmosphere.

Detection

Traditionally, whitedamp was detected by its effect on canaries, who succumb much more quickly than humans. However, there are gas detectors available now which detect toxic gases at very low levels. The levels of gas detection depend on the methods used.

gollark: The economic damage due to software being slightly bad and worsening productivity must be *immense*.

gollark: Yes, "only" a few hundred megabytes.

gollark: Teams can just be pushed centrally by a company, regardless of whether anyone actually likes using it.

gollark: (and use it while gaming™ and such)

gollark: "Optimized well" is a stretch, but it seems to be less bad; they probably have slightly more pressure to not be too awful because people actually choose to use it.

References

JS Haldane and JG Priestley, Respiration, Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed (1935)

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