The Relation of Sulphur in Lighting-Gas to Air Vitiation

• Published in: Journal of Hygiene
• Main Author: Haldane, J. S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1903
• Subjects: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Immunology; Carbonic acid
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022172400032915; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022172400032915

It is matter of common observation that air which is much vitiated by combustion of lighting-gas is distinctly oppressive, apart altogether from the rise of temperature which is always associated with the vitiation. This effect is always very evident if the proportion of CO 2 in the air of a room has been raised to 30 or 40 volumes per 10,000 by combustion of gas. Air to which pure carbonic acid has been added in the same proportion has no such effect, however, and is practically indistinguishable from pure air. Deficiency of oxygen to such an extent as occurs in the air of a room is also without sensible effect. In coal-mines, where the air is commonly vitiated to a considerable extent by slow oxidation in the strata, it is, for instance, quite impossible to distinguish by the senses pure air from air containing an excess of 50 or even 100 volumes per 10,000 of CO 2 , with a correspondingly large deficiency of oxygen. The unpleasantness of air vitiated by combustion of lighting-gas is therefore not due to excess of carbonic or deficiency of oxygen.