ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author talks about carbon monoxide (CO), the colorless, odorless gas that results from incomplete combustion of any carbon-containing fuel and which is usually the most toxic gas produced in fires. It is also a significant component of automobile exhaust and is frequently associated with improperly adjusted domestic gas appliances and furnaces. Because CO is a small, light molecule with almost the same density as air, its distribution is subject to the movement of ambient air, such as drafts, wind, and air currents. For example, in a case in an old house in Toronto in June 1960, a defective gas furnace had caused the CO death of a previously healthy middle-aged man, but in the room in which his body was found, there was a canary singing merrily away. The author measurements showed lethal CO concentrations throughout the room except in the immediate area of the birdcage.
