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Came to say precisely this. Before you run out of o2 the co2 levels will likely render you unconscious, and will potentially also suppress your breathing. I to

Came to say precisely this. Before you run out of o2 the co2 levels will likely render you unconscious, and will potentially also suppress your breathing. I took a lungful (choked on the first breath, coughed, started really choking) of air heavy with co2 in a pub cellar once. Only because I fainted on top of the kegs above the co2 saturated air on the floor (leaky cylinder valve) am I here to tell you about it. Tastes like acidic metal and black velvet rushes in.

masklinn 11y ago
An other fun danger of insufficiently aerated rooms: in wine countries, until cellars aeration became more widespread a huge danger was CO buildup in cellars from fermentation, to these days people regularly die during initial fermentation, and a warning you get is "if you see somebody unconscious at the bottom of the cellar stairs you do not go down to help, you call the firefighters, trying to help just ensures they have two bodies to retrieve".
- justinclift 11y ago
  So, horror movies are realistic for once. If you see your friend lying dead in the cellar... GTFO of there, it really is zombies (or gas buildup of some variety) . :)
  - adevine 11y ago
    There are, sadly, lots of reports of farmers and their family members dying in manure pits due to a buildup of CO2 and methane. Someone goes in first and passes out, and then anyone else who tries to go in to save him suffers the same fate. In one case 5 members of a dairy farming family all died trying to save their father.
- mrfusion 11y ago
  What if you hold your breath to help?
  - Amezarak 11y ago
    I've always been confused by this too - you'd think holding your breath would make it safe-ish. I can only assume that it's still extremely risky because even if you remember to do it, you are very likely to misjudge how long you can hold your breath during an emergency situation with adrenaline pumping that requires you to drag someone up the stairs. Which means you get halfway up, end up forced to take a big deep breath, and pass out.
  - g8gggu89 11y ago
    You could do that while lifting and carrying a 150 pound person up some stairs? Maybe if you had a rope with a slip knot, you could run down and put the rope around their body and run back up, then pull them up the stairs while trying not to hit their head on each step?
  - giardini 11y ago
    That would work if you have excellent breath-holding ability. But since you're exerting yourself by carrying an ~150-lb body, there is a risk you'll pass out because you're holding your breath. So you probably should take multiple trips, repeatedly moving the person partially and then returning to get good air. You should _slowly_ exhale all the while. DO NOT hyperventilate before holding your breath and exerting yourself! Reason is, if you hyperventilate, then take a big breath, hold it and exert yourself you are likely to pass out _instantly_ w/o warning! [This was something we learned as kids - do not do this! You _will_ pass out (and you also risk embolism/stroke).
    - mrfusion 11y ago
      Why slowly exhale? Why is hyperventilating first bad?
      - simonswords82 11y ago
        I can take a guess on the exhale. If you're slowly exhaling there's less (no) chance you'll accidentally inhale.
      - 11y ago
- goda90 11y ago
  Are there carbon dioxide sensors that can be used in such cases like we have carbon monoxide and smoke detectors?
xchaotic 11y ago
As others are saying - the CO2 poisoning will make you unconscious way before O2 runs out. You can train for it tho, much like freedivers do if you plan on surviving in airtight containers for longer periods of time.
david-given 11y ago
There are also lakes which occasionally emit big bursts of CO₂. And, of course, it's denser than air, so you get an invisible flood of CO₂ pouring down the riverway... where people live. These can be thoroughly fatal. Lake Nyos emitted a CO₂ cloud in 1986 which killed 1700 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos
- lisper 11y ago
  Pure nitrogen is even more dangerous because it feels perfectly normal to breathe it. You have no idea anything is wrong until you pass out, which can happen very quickly. Kind of a nice way to go, actually. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas_asphyxiation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas_asphyxiation
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

masklinn 11y ago

An other fun danger of insufficiently aerated rooms: in wine countries, until cellars aeration became more widespread a huge danger was CO buildup in cellars from fermentation, to these days people regularly die during initial fermentation, and a warning you get is "if you see somebody unconscious at the bottom of the cellar stairs you do not go down to help, you call the firefighters, trying to help just ensures they have two bodies to retrieve".

justinclift 11y ago
So, horror movies are realistic for once. If you see your friend lying dead in the cellar... GTFO of there, it really is zombies (or gas buildup of some variety) . :)
- adevine 11y ago
  There are, sadly, lots of reports of farmers and their family members dying in manure pits due to a buildup of CO2 and methane. Someone goes in first and passes out, and then anyone else who tries to go in to save him suffers the same fate. In one case 5 members of a dairy farming family all died trying to save their father.
mrfusion 11y ago
What if you hold your breath to help?
- Amezarak 11y ago
  I've always been confused by this too - you'd think holding your breath would make it safe-ish. I can only assume that it's still extremely risky because even if you remember to do it, you are very likely to misjudge how long you can hold your breath during an emergency situation with adrenaline pumping that requires you to drag someone up the stairs. Which means you get halfway up, end up forced to take a big deep breath, and pass out.
- g8gggu89 11y ago
  You could do that while lifting and carrying a 150 pound person up some stairs? Maybe if you had a rope with a slip knot, you could run down and put the rope around their body and run back up, then pull them up the stairs while trying not to hit their head on each step?
- giardini 11y ago
  That would work if you have excellent breath-holding ability. But since you're exerting yourself by carrying an ~150-lb body, there is a risk you'll pass out because you're holding your breath. So you probably should take multiple trips, repeatedly moving the person partially and then returning to get good air. You should _slowly_ exhale all the while. DO NOT hyperventilate before holding your breath and exerting yourself! Reason is, if you hyperventilate, then take a big breath, hold it and exert yourself you are likely to pass out _instantly_ w/o warning! [This was something we learned as kids - do not do this! You _will_ pass out (and you also risk embolism/stroke).
  - mrfusion 11y ago
    Why slowly exhale? Why is hyperventilating first bad?
    - simonswords82 11y ago
      I can take a guess on the exhale. If you're slowly exhaling there's less (no) chance you'll accidentally inhale.
    - 11y ago
goda90 11y ago
Are there carbon dioxide sensors that can be used in such cases like we have carbon monoxide and smoke detectors?

xchaotic 11y ago

As others are saying - the CO2 poisoning will make you unconscious way before O2 runs out. You can train for it tho, much like freedivers do if you plan on surviving in airtight containers for longer periods of time.

david-given 11y ago

There are also lakes which occasionally emit big bursts of CO₂. And, of course, it's denser than air, so you get an invisible flood of CO₂ pouring down the riverway... where people live. These can be thoroughly fatal. Lake Nyos emitted a CO₂ cloud in 1986 which killed 1700 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos

lisper 11y ago
Pure nitrogen is even more dangerous because it feels perfectly normal to breathe it. You have no idea anything is wrong until you pass out, which can happen very quickly. Kind of a nice way to go, actually. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas_asphyxiation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas_asphyxiation

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]