Grumpy Dad:
newmercman:
Suffocation is the result of asphyxiation, lack of oxygen to the brain. That’s how carbon monoxide poisoning kills you. But I see your point, which is what I was trying to say anyway.Wrong way around, suffocation can lead to asphyxiation.
Asphyxiation is the lack of oxygen in the body.
Suffocation is a lack of air entering the body, air is processed in the lungs by a process called gaseous exchange and oxygen passes into the blood and around the body.
Spot on. But my point was that referring to it as “suffocation”, while not exactly trivialising the issue, perpetuates the idea that the dangers of gas stoves in lorry cabs are that they “use up the oxygen” and so prevent the occupant from breathing. The logic then says that all you need to do is have the window cracked open to let some fresh air in and all is rosy*. Now, while it is true that you can indeed suffocate someone by replacing most of the oxygen with an inert gas such as carbon dioxide (or of course by physically restricting his airway or chest movement), using up all that oxygen would be a Big Job and unlikely to be achieved by the flame of a gas stove. In addition, a suffocating casualty can usually be saved (assuming he’s not already dead, or nearly so) by simply opening his airway and getting some fresh air into his lungs.
But carbon monoxide poisoning is not simple suffocation - the carbon monoxide combines with the haemoglobin in the bloodstream to form a different compound which is no longer capable of carrying oxygen to the organs of the body. The end result is much the same (lack of oxygen to the brain), but it’s not easily reversible by simply getting fresh air into the lungs. Even at non-lethal levels, the poisoning effect is still there with long term exposure, potentially resulting in lack of concentration/difficulty thinking, or frequent mood changes, depression etc. In order to prevent this poisoning, you need to ensure good ventilation (not simply having the window open a crack) or preferably by not using the stove in the cab at all.
As an aside, carbon monoxide poisoning used to be one of the most common methods of suicide, using the exhaust gases from a car engine. The universal adoption of catalytic converters has now reduced the CO content in car exhausts to such an extent that it’s much more difficult to kill yourself this way.
(* actually, all may well be rosy as one of the commonly noticeable things about a body killed by carbon monoxide poisoning is the red colouration of the skin and lips - unlike suffocation, where the blue tinge of cyanosis is more typical).