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Incidents of suffocation in vehicles | How to avoid?


Houston, Texas was once hit by a sudden cold storm in the US state when a major power breakdown occurred. Husband and wife and their family of 2 children took shelter in a car parked in the garage of their house to escape the cold. By morning, the mother and one child had died, while the father and the other child had managed to reach the hospital and survived. The study found evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning from the bodies of the dead. The Houston administration later issued an advisory that driving in the interior of a building could be fatal.

That was a decade ago, to get some relief from the power outage and extremely hot weather, the two friends turned on the AC in the car parked in the garage of their house and fell asleep. Their family had gone out of town for summer vacation and they found out about their deaths four days later.

Dozens of deaths from gas leaks from generators have been reported across the country so far, while the number of gas heater-related deaths is much higher in other parts of Pakistan. A few days ago, videos based on painful scenes came out from Murree. More than 20 people who went to play laughter died suddenly. The exact reasons will come to light only after an investigation, but according to the initial statement of Murree police, the deaths were due to gas filling inside the vehicle.

The thing to think about is what happens when you don't even get a chance to turn off the car heater switch, generator button, or gas valve? In most cases, it feels as if the dead are not struggling to survive. All of these events have something to do with each other. Let's try to understand.

Read also: Heavy Snowfall in Murree, Galyat, tourist entry temporarily closed

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. This killer gas enters the bloodstream and blocks the flow of oxygen from the blood, causing many organs, including the heart and brain, to stop working and eventually death.

 

Is engine gas toxic?

Car engines, whether petrol or natural gas engines, all operate on the same principle. The mixture of air and fuel ignites the engine piston when it is ignited by the spark plug in the engine cylinder. The engine starts as a result of this movement.

The gas produced by the burning of this mixture of fuel and air is dissolved in the air through the exhaust pipe. Exhaust pipe in vehicles means silencer. Under normal circumstances, most of the gases emitted from a well-conditioned vehicle are nitrogen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide, which, although harmful to the environment, are not toxic.

 

When does engine gas become toxic?

The engine emits carbon monoxide and hydroxide in certain conditions, even small amounts of which are extremely harmful to human health. Catalytic converters are fitted in newer model vehicles in Pakistan in which the existing filter seeks to reduce toxic emissions. Older cars in Pakistan do not have catalytic converters. Older or weaker engines emit more gases such as carbon monoxide and hydroxide. In many countries, it is necessary to obtain a fitness certificate after analyzing the exhaust gas after a certain period of time. If toxic gas is found in the engine gas, such a vehicle is not allowed to run. If the car is not driven for a long time after starting, there is a risk of toxic gas formation and the same danger occurs when the engine is running without driving in severely cold weather.

This is because the engine generates a certain amount of heat when the car is running which does not allow the mixture of air and fuel in the engine to thicken beyond a certain limit. But when the car is not driven after the engine is started, the fuel thickens and does not evaporate completely, resulting in higher emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide which could have been reduced in a hot engine.

This defect has been significantly reduced in modern vehicles, but the risk has not been completely eliminated. The catalytic converter also does not work properly in cold weather.

Smaller generators do not have any filters of any kind and the quality is compromised for the production of cheap engines. There is usually no filter between the engine and the exhaust pipe, and the distance between the engine and the silencer is so small that the gas comes out in its original state without interruption.

 

How can engine gas get into a car?

It is often the case that the car windows are completely closed, but even passing by a sewer or a pile of garbage can spread an unpleasant odor inside the car. Obviously, this stench must have entered the car in some way. A bad rubber door or dugout can also be that way. The car has a duct for the AC system which has options such as setting the direction of the wind in the control system and allowing the outside air to enter.

The AC duct consists of various small windows, the opening, and closing of which determine the direction of the wind. In older vehicles the system is manual, the duct window is opened and closed by rotating the knob, while in newer vehicles the button is used to do all this work, with a small motor attached to each interior window.

Usually, these windows in cars are leaking more or less even if the window which prevents air from coming in is closed, the outside air is coming in and sometimes even dust is coming in. Simply put, a car is not completely airtight.

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What could be the probable cause of death in Murree?

Since it does not snow in most parts of Pakistan, we are not well aware of the principles and dangers of driving during snowfall. In countries around the world where there is heavy snowfall, the characteristics of the vehicle and the way it is driven are different.



In addition, before going on a trip, people must listen to the weather, and even the car radio has a weather forecasting channel. If you go to the side of the ice melting process can be very slippery and at this point, you have to drive carefully. The Murree tragedy in Pakistan has saddened everyone but without understanding the possible causes, we will not be able to be safe in such a situation. According to reports, up to 4 feet of snow has fallen in different parts of Pakistan.

Millions of people from lower parts of Pakistan flock to Murree and other upper areas every year to enjoy the snowfall. The same thing happened this year, but the snowfall was heavier than usual and the tourist rush was high. The storm and snowfall also caused trees and power poles to fall on the road in different areas, creating roadblocks and leaving thousands stranded on the roads. Precious lives have also been lost during this period. It is believed that vehicles stuck during the snowfall waited for hours to find their way. In the meantime, the snow may have stopped the flow of gas from the car's silencer pipe one foot above the road.

When the car's silencer is turned off, there is severe pressure on the exhaust pipe in the engine compartment and the cell connecting the engine, and leakage starts from there. The engine gas may have started to accumulate in the engine compartment and from there it entered the cabin through the AC duct.

Since the car's engine was running at extremely low temperatures, the chances of carbon monoxide being generated were very high. The windows were closed to avoid the cold wind and the oxygen in the car would have been less than the need of 4 or 5 people and moreover, carbon monoxide would have pushed innocent lives to the brink of death.

Research has also shown that if a vehicle or any place is completely covered with ice to such an extent that even the passage of oxygen is blocked, suffocation can occur in 35 minutes. Some of the deaths during the Murree tragedy may have been caused by carbon monoxide and some by freezing temperatures.


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