Whitedamp

Whitedamp is a noxious mixture of gases formed by the combustion of coal, usually in an enclosed environment such as a coal mine.

Whitedamp is a noxious mixture of gases formed by the combustion of coal, usually in an enclosed environment such as a coal mine.

The most toxic constituents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.

The most toxic constituents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.

Coal frequently starts to burn slowly in mines when it is exposed to the atmosphere.

Traditionally, whitedamp was detected by its effect on canaries, who succumb much more quickly than humans.

However, there are gas detectors available now which detect toxic gases at very low levels.

The main hazard here is from large quantities of carbon monoxide or whitedamp, often produced by an explosion of firedamp.

Alongside firedamp, other damps include blackdamp (nonbreathable mixture of carbon dioxide, water vapour, and other gases), whitedamp (carbon monoxide and other gases produced by combustion), poisonous, explosive stinkdamp (hydrogen sulfide), with its characteristic "rotten egg" odour, and the insidiously lethal afterdamp (carbon monoxide and other gases) produced following explosions of firedamp or coal dust.

The word damp is used in similar mining terms such as white damp, fire damp and stink damp.

The biggest threats to rescuers are the various fumes, particularly “blackdamp”, a mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen that contains no oxygen, and “whitedamp”, which is carbon monoxide.

Some were killed outright by the explosion, but most died of asphyxiation by whitedamp and afterdamp.

The toxic mixtures of gases found in mines included afterdamp, blackdamp and whitedamp.