Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-11-04
Health Talks by DR.. Brady
Exhaust Gas Poisoning.

Gasoline vapor itself Is comparatively nom
poisonous. OILY when II is inhaled in great
concentration does 1t produce bad effects
loss OF sensation and perhaps commissions.
But the exhaust gas OF an automobile or
other gasoline engine 10 highly poisonous. and
has brought sudden death To many victims.
The letha effect is due to the carbon monoxidc
gas in the exhaust vapors. With carburetor
adjusted TO give u rich mixture. n larger guam
tity of this deadly poison is produced Invcs-
legations made by Ficldncr for the bureau OF
mines would indicate that an automobile en-
CINE adjusted for n rich mixture produces
as much as tw" cubic feet of carbon moncXiic
per minute. Therefore grave peril awaits the
thoughtlcss driver who starts the engine on
4 cold morning anu allows Il to run for time
IN warm up in n small, close garage. Life
is endangered in less than live minutes, un-
less tube connected with the exhaust car
ries the poisonous vapors outside. or the doors
Of the garage are kept open. Heart failure"
that dear old standby OF the nonchnlant
coroner--is sometimes blamed for sudden
death from carbon mon"Xidc nsphyxia,ion
Professor Yandcn Henderson and his
soc!atcs studying the problem OF carbon
monoXide asphyx.ation for the United States
bureau of mines adopted standard for cs
tmating the effect OF inhaling air polut. I
with carbon nonoXldc. II IL generally agreed
that bad effects may he produced by little
ns TWO parts Of Co In 10000 OF atmosphere.
But the time during which this polluted air
is inhaled is an important factor So Hen
In hours by the concentration OF carbon
,nonoxide in parts per 10000 OF air II the
product Is three or less there is no nppreciahle
effect. II It is six, Their. Is Slight discomfort
distress. If it is nine. the victim has a
headache and maybe some nausea. If il is IF
teen. the conditions dangerous. Ii more
than fifteen, "A fatility may result
The whole poisonous effect Of carbon
'nonoXide is due TO the combination OF the
with the hcmoglobin Of the blood thus
displacing excluding oxygen. The carbon
monoXide does not poison the system in tho
same sense that ordinary narcotics mineral
poisons do Rcd blood cells. which have
taken up carbon monoxiGe and given IL OF
again. just good cells as they were
before. But il has been found that inhala-
t!rons of oxygen have little value in The treat
ncnt of persons asphyNiatcd 10y carbon
nlonoXde. 1t sccns the carbon monO ide has
about 200 times as strong an affinity for hcmo-
rlobin az oxygen has. So something else must
be done to break this affinity. and curlously
enough, the most effective remedy is carbon
doxIdc gns-nhaations Of oxygen containing
about so per Of carbon dioxidc. An
emergency apparatus for administering this
treatment will be available soon. and the
work of tho psychologists ana chemists OF
the United States bureau of mines Will no
doubt mean the saving of many lives with
this new treatment 'Fircmen overcome by
smoke and victims gassed by dust explosions
will be saved by the carbon dioxidc and
oxygen treatment.
Copyright National Newspaper Scrvicc.)