Why did miners used canaries

They protected them from a danger that lurks in the mines— carbon monoxide CO. This is an odorless , toxic gas. CO can cause dizziness, loss of consciousness , and even death in humans and animals. What made canaries so well-suited to protect miners from carbon monoxide? Their breath is more rapid than that of most humans, causing them to take in more air. If poisonous gas was in the air, canaries would breathe in twice as much of it, causing them to become sick before the miners did.

If a miner saw that a canary was acting strangely or lost consciousness , they knew to leave the mine at once. The practice of bringing canaries into coal mines began in and took off quickly. In many cases, miners came to see the canaries as both protectors and pets.

As such, they came up with ways to protect their companions, as well. One example is a device designed to resuscitate canaries who lost consciousness due to poisonous gas. When activated , it provided the birds with increased oxygen , often saving their lives. Mice also did the job for a time until miners realized canaries gave an earlier warning.

Today, animals have been replaced by digital CO detectors that warn miners of danger. Use of canaries in coal mines ended in It looks great, and the canary is definitely more life-like, but in museums like ours we love an object that can tell a story. So, my favourite object is a mucky and damaged box, in which a canary would have been caged, and used as an indicator of dangerous conditions.

Before I go, here are some honourable mentions from our wider collections here at MSI that I have a great fondness for:. Our many unusual light-bulbs, for reasons you can see here :. And our sample of Apollo spacesuit fabric, just like the ones Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore while walking on the moon. I have one exactly like the one in the Science Museum that was used in a steelworks.

I also have a report that shows the expected effects of CO on a person and a canary. The old canary house was still in use though sadly no longer for canaries until On December 30, , that was largely put to rest. More than birds were phased out of service as modern carbon monoxide detectors were phased in.

In fact, some gas detector distributors pay homage to the birds today by creating bright yellow products. The practice was first suggested by Scottish scientist John Haldane, known as the Father of Oxygen Therapy, who studied oxygen rejuvenation and gas poisoning by experimenting on himself.

In the mids, he suggested carrying canaries or mice into mines to detect toxic gas. However, even these lamps were not as sensitive as the yellow birds, so most rescue crews preferred to respond with a canary, or opted to use both. If miners saw mice scampering away from an area or found dead mice, it was a sure sign of gas. Using canaries quickly caught on and by the early s they were being used in mines around the world, along with such other birds as linnets, redpolls and pigeons.

In , the United States Bureau of Mines tested a number of small animals to find out which reacted more quickly and most visibly when exposed to CO. Unfortunately for the yellow canary, it won out, followed closely by white mice, then chickens, dogs, pigeons, sparrows, guinea pigs and rabbits. Canaries were finally phased out in as new detection technology was developed.