While most PBO readers are in the depths of winter, trying to stay warm with diesel heaters, on the other side of the globe we’re enjoying sunny evenings at anchor, with air-conditioning units blasting out a mini fog of diesel fumes.
Regardless of whether we sail in a warm or cool climate, we’re likely to be burning fossil fuels in enclosed spaces, so it’s worth reminding ourselves of the dangers of carbon monoxide.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas with no colour, odour or taste. All hydrocarbon fuels exhaust a mix of nasty gases that includes the deadly CO.
To burn completely, fuels such as gas, LPG, coal, wood, paraffin, oil and petrol need an adequate supply of air. When carbon is burnt, it should be fully oxidised, forming carbon dioxide, which comprises a carbon molecule with two oxygen molecules attached. However, without adequate ventilation, the carbon only partially oxidises, binding to just one carbon molecule (CO) instead of two (CO2).
A build-up of this deadly gas can happen in a number of ways: through faulty or misused appliances, exhaust fumes from an engine or generator, escaped flue gases from solid fuel stoves or a short supply of air.
Tragically, each year many people die from this deadly poison. While everyone is at risk, it is the very young, the old, those with anaemia, heart or respiratory disease that are especially vulnerable. If you smoke, then you are even more at risk than the general population.
Our body’s red blood cells have the crucial job of transporting
