Asphyxiating mine gases

Asphyxiating mine gases. As was noted above, many of the minerals found in coal mine environments oxidize briskly when in contact with atmospheric O2 ... 

Ground gas poses a very low risk on many sites, but it is equally true that on some sites it poses a very serious risk of causing an explosion, asphyxiation or harm. There are several instances from aroxmd the world where landfill gas, and mine gas in particular, have caused explosions or asphyxiation. The most commonly known events in the UK were at Loscoe in Derbyshire and the Abbeystead pumping station. 

Since its establishment in 1910 as a bureau of the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Mines had maintained on its staff a number of scientists and engineers who studied the toxic and asphyxiating gases often found in mines. Considering this expertise to be of value in the area of gas warfare, the director of the Bureau of Mines, Van H. Manning, offered the services of his bureau to the military committee of the NRC on February 8, 1917... 

Methane gas is in itself inert. It occurs naturally as marsh damp in swamps or, more ominously, Black Damp in mines. In addition to being an asphyxiant when the quantity blocks the available oxygen, it is also highly explosive and, hence, particularly dangerous in mining situations. 

Methane is a natural gas present in coal mines, marsh gas, and sludge degradations. Although at low concentrations it causes no toxicity, high doses lead to asphyxiation in animals and humans. 

The danger associated with working in confined spaces is not new. Since the discovery of mines, many fatalities have been reported owing to suffocation, gas poisoning, accumulated gas explosion, and asphyxiation. Workers dealing with wastewater sewage repair, cleaning, inspection. 

---