Implications to Society

The most common cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is due to vehicles. Base on T.H. Greiner (1998) the causes of carbon monoxide poisoning due to vehicles can be from the following.

  • Operating a vehicle with a defective exhaust system.
  • Operating a vehicle with a defective emission system or poorly tuned engine.
  • Driving a vehicle with the trunk lid or rear tailgate open.
  • Driving a vehicle with holes in the car body.
  • Allowing children to ride under a topper on a pick-up truck.
  • Warming up a vehicle in a garage, even with the outside garage door open.
  • Operating vehicles in a garage, carwash, or any enclosed building.

These usually applies to other countries where their house have a Vehicle Garage.  This is usually not the reason for carbon monoxide poisoning in Singapore.The 2 main causes for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is due to either accidental sleeping in engine (running) vehicle or burning coal in enclosed area.

Carbon monoxide released by motor vehicle can be solved by using a catalytic convertor. A 3-way catalytic convertor can be used to convert the carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water. The chemical reaction is as follow:

Reduction of nitrogen oxides into elemental nitrogen and oxygen:

NOx→Nx+Ox

Oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide:

CO+O2→CO2

Oxidation of hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water:

CxH4x+2xO2→xCO2+2xH2O

However, catalytic convertor can only help to reduce the amount of toxic gases that are  emitted from the car engines into the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide poisoning, due to user sleeping in the vehicle, is still dangerous even when catalytic convertor is used. The only way to prevent this is to ensure air circulation in the vehicle.

Video

Cameraman: Lim Xin Yi
Director/Editor: Lim Jia Ying
First presenter: Lim Ying Xun
Second Presenter: Lim Yan Ming
Third Presenter: Lim Yang Jie
Narrator: Kwa Xuan lin and Lim Yang Jie

References:

1. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Vehicles (AEN-208) (Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering)

2. Catalytic Converters (Chemwiki)

3. Remix of “catalytic converter bcms” by kieran wood (Remix of “catalytic converter bcms”)