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Carbon Monoxide poisoning from sleeping in the car/van?

8K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  paintdrying 
#1 ·
So when me and wifey went on a roadtrip we decided to sleep in the car. I was half asleep when she said "What if we use up all the oxygen while sleeping? Open a window!" I said that it probably wouldn't be possible because the car is not THAT well sealed and there will be plenty of oxygen for the whole night but I opened a window anyway.
What do you guys think about that? Rather keep a window open? (of course the engine was not running).
 
#3 ·
Here is some useful information to keep handy when that conversation comes up again:

First of all, your car isn't air tight. Even if it was, it would take roughly a week or more to consume all of the oxygen in the van.

Secondly, we use less than 20% of the oxygen that we breathe in, thus exhaling most of it back out along with the carbon dioxide. That stands the reason why mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is so effective.

Third, don't get carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide confused. Carbon monoxide is a gas that is a by-product of burning fuel. Carbon dioxide on the other hand is much more inert. It can suffocate you in concentrated amounts (e.g. if you sniff the air duster can) but inhaling the air that you just exhaled does not do any damage.
 
#4 ·
tedanderson said:
Here is some useful information to keep handy when that conversation comes up again:

First of all, your car isn't air tight. Even if it was, it would take roughly a week or more to consume all of the oxygen in the van.

Secondly, we use less than 20% of the oxygen that we breathe in, thus exhaling most of it back out along with the carbon dioxide. That stands the reason why mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is so effective.

Third, don't get carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide confused. Carbon monoxide is a gas that is a by-product of burning fuel. Carbon dioxide on the other hand is much more inert. It can suffocate you in concentrated amounts (e.g. if you sniff the air duster can) but inhaling the air that you just exhaled does not do any damage.
:goodpost:
 
#5 ·
Engine not running = no carbon monoxide. Cracking the window kept them from getting fogged up. Di-hydrogen monoxide is the stuff you need to watch out for. It could do you in under the right circumstances.

Details here: http://www.dhmo.org
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(it's satire)
 
#7 ·
dude, I slept in my old van for 2 months, I'm still alive.

If you object to the window being cracked cause it's too cold er something - just tell her that cracked open windows are an invitation to thieves and lunatics, act more scared of that then she is of suffocating and you won't have to crack the window open. Either that, or she'll file for divorce. But either way... the window will stay closed :blah:
 
#12 ·
I signed up for this forum to correct some common misconceptions.

The problem isn't carbon monoxide (unless the car is runnig), but carbon dioxide, the product of breathing. It's not a question of whether a car is sealed, but whether the interior air is exchanged with outside air fast enough to keep the CO2 level from rising. Without enough openings between the inside and outside, CO2 does build up. The OSHA standard for 8 hours exposure is 5,000ppm. Normal atmospheric CO2 is about 400ppm. I believe exhaled breath is 5% CO2, which is 50,000ppm. Considering how small the volume is inside even a big van, you can see how the level can reach 5,000ppm.

That's a problem in modern houses too, because they're pretty well sealed to save energy. So even though they're not completely airtight, CO2 levels rise to high enough. In Europe there are requirements that houses have air exchangers to bring in fresh air, but only 3 states here in the US have regulations like that.
 
#14 ·
not sure about all the math for volume of a gas, mono, dio, all that very practical science magic. However, in the real world tried and tested situations. You will feel better in the morning if you have even a tiny weeny cracked window. Relationships can be suffocating enough. If the window is cracked enough it will keep your windows from fogging, which is like hanging a neon no vacancy sign in the window . I think the worst part is when it is cold enough to form condensation but not cold enough to freeze and cold water starts to drip on you early in the morning, that is gross. My advice is always to crack the windows at least an inch.
 
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