Tragic Carbon Monoxide Poisonings in Running Vehicles

[Stoaty]

I'm not sure how many people die accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicles, but after the recent snow storm there are a couple reported:

http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/10/boston-boy-dies-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-after-shoveling-out-from-blizzard/dcSmZDfjRSohNDCsAdtBqM/story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the northern mid-west states, rate is about 1 in 200,000 per year.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00044617.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One problem that the Leaf and other BEV will never cause... not to mention gasoline fires, which are several hundred thousand per year (older data):

http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/osvehicle.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

very sad situation when people are forced into drastic measures due to unfortunate circumstances.

about 15 years ago, a distant cousin had two of his 3 children die from the same thing. he was very well aware of the dangers and did take precautions to ventilate and all that stuff and had gotten away with it dozens of times.

 

[Spindoctor]

Leaf owner in the same storm would have died of hypothermia long before.....

 

[TomT]

Often these reports are wrong and they did not, in fact, die from CO poisoning, they died from asphyxiation (lack of O2) instead... This can happen in a snow covered and bound car (and does) at times even when it is turned off... Modern ICE vehicles admit VERY little, if any, CO...

I'm not sure how many people die accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicles, but after the recent snow storm there are a couple reported.

 

[Rat]

Often these reports are wrong and they did not, in fact, die from CO poisoning, they died from asphyxiation (lack of O2) instead... This can happen in a snow covered and bound car (and does) at times even when it is turned off... Modern ICE vehicles admit VERY little, if any, CO...

I'm not sure how many people die accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning from motor vehicles, but after the recent snow storm there are a couple reported.

I don't know how many of the reports are wrong, but it could also be due to carbon dioxide poisoning. When submarines are submerged too long and don't have working scrubbers the CO2 levels climb too high and cause death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercapnia

 

[TomT]

Exactly, and that can happen in a sufficiently well sealed space just from normal human exhalation of CO2... No ICE needed.

I don't know how many of the reports are wrong, but it could also be due to carbon dioxide poisoning. When submarines are submerged too long and don't have working scrubbers the CO2 levels climb too high and cause death.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

is not CO a result if there is insufficient O2 available? sounds like we are splitting hairs here.

"it was not my speeding that killed people, it was the sudden deceleration after i lost control and hit the wall that did it..."

 

[Deleted member 3147]

is not CO a result if there is insufficient O2 available? sounds like we are splitting hairs here.

"it was not my speeding that killed people, it was the sudden deceleration after i lost control and hit the wall that did it..."

Not at all. As mentioned earlier in the thread, if you lock yourself in a sealed chamber for too long, without any kind of combustion, just you breathing, The O2 in the chamber will be replaced by CO2, and you would die from lack of oxygen (O2). However, if before you died, the changer was opened, and O2 admitted, you would quickly recover.

The problem with carbon monoxide, CO, is the it binds very strongly to your your red blood cells, preventing O2 from doing so. If you get severe CO poisoning, no amount of O2 administered into your lungs will save you because it cannot be picked up by the blood and delivered to your heart, brain, etc.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

is not CO a result if there is insufficient O2 available? sounds like we are splitting hairs here.

"it was not my speeding that killed people, it was the sudden deceleration after i lost control and hit the wall that did it..."

Not at all. As mentioned earlier in the thread, if you lock yourself in a sealed chamber for too long, without any kind of combustion, just you breathing, The O2 in the chamber will be replaced by CO2, and you would die from lack of oxygen (O2). However, if before you died, the changer was opened, and O2 admitted, you would quickly recover.

The problem with carbon monoxide, CO, is the it binds very strongly to your your red blood cells, preventing O2 from doing so. If you get severe CO poisoning, no amount of O2 administered into your lungs will save you because it cannot be picked up by the blood and delivered to your heart, brain, etc.

my CO statement was in relation to a burn. we all know that the emission from such is not static unless in a highly controlled environment with known inputs. if a car was running in an area that had limited O2, would it continue to put on CO2? but either way, doesnt really matter. not really the topic here. the end result is the same.

drive ICE, you die

 

[Stoaty]

Another CO poisoning of 3 people in a vehicle stuck in the mud:

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/04/01/17554169-buckwild-star-shain-gandee-2-others-died-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning?lite" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Hedge74]

is not CO a result if there is insufficient O2 available? sounds like we are splitting hairs here.

"it was not my speeding that killed people, it was the sudden deceleration after i lost control and hit the wall that did it..."

Not at all. As mentioned earlier in the thread, if you lock yourself in a sealed chamber for too long, without any kind of combustion, just you breathing, The O2 in the chamber will be replaced by CO2, and you would die from lack of oxygen (O2). However, if before you died, the changer was opened, and O2 admitted, you would quickly recover.

The problem with carbon monoxide, CO, is the it binds very strongly to your your red blood cells, preventing O2 from doing so. If you get severe CO poisoning, no amount of O2 administered into your lungs will save you because it cannot be picked up by the blood and delivered to your heart, brain, etc.

my CO statement was in relation to a burn. we all know that the emission from such is not static unless in a highly controlled environment with known inputs. if a car was running in an area that had limited O2, would it continue to put on CO2? but either way, doesnt really matter. not really the topic here. the end result is the same.

drive ICE, you die

Regardless of the concentration or amount of O2 Available, if CO2 reaches 7%-10% you are likely to die in an Hour. If it is over 20% you will die in minutes. That is why there are CO2 Scubbers in sealed enviroments such a submarines and space vehicles.


Hedge