“Carbon Monoxide” - another Baseless Scare Story

There is another scare in the unrelenting war on coal – “carbon monoxide”?

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The carbon dioxide scare has proved baseless – it is difficult to maintain a scare against the benevolent gas that keeps the world green and supports all life. So some alarmists think that a carbon monoxide scare will fly? Carbon monoxide gas is generated naturally by volcanoes, bushfires and some animal metabolisms, and traces are always present in the atmosphere of Earth and other planets. It is indeed a scary gas at high concentrations – it is poisonous to air-breathing animals, inflammable in air and can cause explosions. But it oxidises easily and naturally to form a totally different gas - carbon dioxide, the gas of life. Carbon monoxide can be produced by burning any organic matter in a confined place with insufficient oxygen. The exhaust pipes on older vehicles are the major man-made sources, explaining their use in car suicides. It was also produced from wood as a fuel in “gas generators” used to power motor vehicles during the petrol rationing era in WW2. Carbon monoxide can be an unseen danger whenever wood, gas, coke, coal, dung, kerosene or cigarettes are burnt in stuffy closed rooms. This danger was once common in Warwick winters when, on really bitter nights, all doors and windows were shut tight and big logs were burnt in open fires. It is generated even now in NSW schools foolishly heated with un-flued gas heaters in poorly ventilated classrooms. Coal power has largely removed that carbon monoxide danger. Modern coal-powered generators produce clean silent heat, light and power for homes, schools and industry, with zero chance of carbon monoxide accumulating indoors. At the remotely-located power stations, the main gases released to the atmosphere are the two essential gases of life – water and carbon dioxide. This aerial fertilisation is noticeably encouraging plant growth on Earth. Carbon monoxide is unlikely to be found above trace amounts in flue gases of modern coal power stations because operators continually monitor exhaust gases - its presence above trace amounts is a clear indication that not all of the carbon fuel from the coal has been burnt. In a well-designed power station, sufficient air is force-fed to ensure that every bit of hydrocarbon fuel is burnt. Viv Forbes

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