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Methane gas kills when the body absorbs the methane into the blood stream when inhaled during normal breathing. It displaces the oxygen and the body becomes disoriented and unable to make rational decisions. It makes the person lethargic and they want to go to sleep and eventually die of oxygen deprivation. Methane is an odorless and colorless gas which makes it more harmful. Miners used to keep canarys in cages inside of a mine to let them know when methane was near. The bird, being smaller, would pass out. Miners would also start explosions when their carbide lamp flames would hit a pocket of gas. This is why they use battery powered lamps today. Your local gas company adds an odor to their natural gas which smells like rotten eggs. This makes it easier to detect leaks.

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17y ago

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