ABSTRACT
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is one of the most important gases in the field of sensor technology. This is because its toxicity combined with its properties of being odorless, colorless, tasteless, and nonirritating to the respiratory tract. Attempts at detection of CO date back to the famous French physiologist, Claude Bernard, circa 1846,1 who performed experiments with CO poisoning dogs. Small birds and mammals were used for decades in mines as living CO detectors. CO has been called the “silent killer,” the “stealthy-poison,” and even the “smart poison” because it enters the body without notice and leaves so quickly with little trace. See an earlier discussion of CO detectors by Kwor in Carbon Monoxide Toxicity, 2000.
