Chinese state media reported that at least 16 workers in southwest China died after getting exposed to unsafe levels of carbon monoxide after being trapped underground of the coal mine.
According to CGTN, a state-run media in China, 17 people were inside the Songzao coal mine in the city of Chongqing in China at the time of the incident. However, only one worker was successfully pulled out alive by the rescuers, and the rest were in critical condition when brought to the hospital.
16 dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in the Chinese coal mine – Nehanda Radio Screenshot from Youtube
Coal Mine Accident in China
On Sunday, midday local time, a conveyor belt in the coal mine caught on fire and produced excessive levels of carbon monoxide and trapped the miners underground. State news agency Xinhua said that the levels of carbon monoxide have come to an unsafe level threatening the lives of the miners inside.
The Ministry of Emergency Management of China has assured the public that they are working to identify what caused the incident and would implement safety measures in the coal mine.
According to the National Coal Safety Supervision Bureau, they have already sent a team led by the deputy director to guide the rescue and recovery mission at the coal mine.
Songzao coal mine is the property of the state energy firm Chongqing Energy and its managers have been previously fined and received warnings over safety violations at the site.
Last year, the Chongqing Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau issued "administrative penalties" and required the mine to pay a fine that ranges from $700 to $4,200 to seven workers for using improper mine blasting methods.
Accidents like this in the mining industry of China is not new. Three years ago, the official statistics said that 219 coal mining accidents were recorded, killing 375 people. Then in 2018, coal mining accidents in China killed a total of 333 people.
Read Also: Generators Cause Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Norway and the U.S.
Carbon Monoxide in Mining
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas produced from incomplete combustion and present in exhaust gases of vehicles, combustion of fuel, and part of normal metabolic processes.
It can be hazardous when it reaches a concentration of above 35ppm, which is considered highly toxic to hemoglobic animals and humans. Once exposed to unsafe levels, humans may feel headaches, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, visual disturbance, confusion, seizures, and fainting.
It is the most common air poisoning, and once it is inhaled, it combines with hemoglobin and produces carboxyhemoglobin, which makes them ineffective in delivering oxygen to the body.
Without oxygen, vital organs in the body will starve and could lead to suffocation and loss of consciousness. Often, carbon monoxide poisoning is irreversible as carbon monoxide never detaches from the hemoglobin.
Carbon monoxide is also flammable and tends to be explosive in mixtures between 12.5 and 74%. Its flames will not extinguish, unlike carbon dioxide, which makes it the most dangerous gases found in a mining facility and also the most difficult to detect.
But there is now a modern way to detect carbon monoxide that doe snot harm animals or humans.
Read More: CDC Issues Health Advisory on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After Hurricane Laura
Check out more news and information on Carbon Monoxide in Science Times.
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