有毒气体传感器代替金丝雀和老鼠在矿山

　　有毒气体传感器代替金丝雀和老鼠在矿山

　　根据美国劳工部矿山安全与健康管理局（MSHA）报告，开采的安全性有了显著提高。仅从1900到2014年间，煤矿死亡人数就由2014人追踪到了448581，证实了这一说法；例如，在1900，有矿工和1489人死亡，而在矿工中，矿工的总数约为120000人，但只有死亡人数为16人。

　　有毒气体经常在地下矿山中释放出来，不易被人类感知到。矿井天然气是在有机物向煤转化过程中自然产生的。它不仅在矿的大气中，而且还被吸收到煤的内表面。在开采过程中释放，火灾和爆炸是一个潜在的结果。

　　Carbon monoxide （CO） is an example of a possibly deadly gas that is devoid of color， taste， or smell and can form underground during a mine fire or after a mine explosion， so miners who survived the initial effects of a mine fire or explosion still face the risk of carbon monoxide asphyxia. Today’s coal miners rely on carbon monoxide detectors and monitors to recognize its presence underground. However， before the availability of modern detection devices， miners turned to Mother Nature for assistance. Canaries – and sometimes mice – were used to alert miners to the presence of the poisonous gas. Following a mine fire or explosion， mine rescuers would descend into the mine carrying a canary in a small wooden or metal cage. Any sign of distress from the canary was a clear signal that the conditions underground were unsafe， prompting a hasty return to the surface.