Tank gas suspected in two deaths - Sri Lanka

[DandyDon]

The use of terms like "oxygen tanks" suggests that the writer knows little about diving, or at least in not selecting words appropriately. How well the authorities involved understand diving or select words is open to guess work. They also seem to be looking at dating for some reason. Compressors can flash injecting CO in some while others filled the same hour are fine, and water in a tank and deplete oxygen in time thru corrosion, but I don't see them thinking that way? I carry 3 different CO testers on trips to see what I can learn, but my CooTwo Deluxe is my favorite since it tests for CO and for O2 levels simultaneously.

Deaths of two divers arouse suspicion of outdated oxygen cylinders | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

The deaths of two divers are being probed following suspicion that the Oxygen cylinders they carried may have caused poisoning, Modara Police said.

Acting Magistrate Colombo Fort, M. Liyanage ordered that six oxygen cylinders be sent to the Government Analyst seeking a report on whether the cylinders were outdated.

The first diver had died when he was sent down on November 18 to measure a rock formation that was in the way of ships in the Modara area.

The lifeless body of the victim, Gamini Jagath Kumara, an experienced diver from Hikkaduwa was found by one of his colleagues after they noticed that he was taking a long time to surface.

The JMO who conducted the postmortem ordered that specimens of the body be sent to the Government Analyst’s Department, while the City Corner, Ashrof Rumy ordered that the Oxygen Cylinder be sent to the Government Analyst for a report within three weeks.

Two days later another diver who was sent to attend on a shipwreck in the Modara area was also found dead minutes after he dived.

The victim was Suranjith Dhananjaya, 32 from Galle.

Sergeant S. Jayasekara of the Modara police in his evidence at the Magisterial inquiry into the second death said that after the first death instructions had been given to the Stores at the Ports Authority not to use five of the Oxygen cylinders, but the advice had been ignored.

Investigations are being carried out under the directions of Modara police Chief inspector Sujeewa Wijewardena.

 

[wgw04024]

Oxygen tanks doesn't seem like a term that's grossly misused does it? What if they called them nitrogen tanks?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Unless the dive cylinders are known to have initially contained pure elemental diatomic Oxygen, they should be properly referred to as generic "Breathing Gas Tanks". . .

 

[guruboy]

Have you ever found CO in a tank while on vacation?

 

[CuzzA]

Unless the dive cylinders are known to have initially contained pure elemental diatomic Oxygen, they should be properly referred to as generic "Breathing Gas Tanks". . .

Or commonly known as "Air".

 

[Kevrumbo]

Or commonly known as "Air".

Could be Air, or Nitrox or Trimix. Hence "Breathing Gas" generically to cover it all.

But rather than the lay media automatically referring to it as an "Oxygen Tank", Air Tank is technically more correct, and of course assuming so since it's the most common breathing gas. . .

 

[CuzzA]

Could be Air, or Nitrox or Trimix. Hence "Breathing Gas" generically to cover it all.

But rather than the lay media automatically referring to it as an "Oxygen Tank", Air Tank is technically more correct, and of course assuming so since it's the most common breathing gas. . .

I strongly believe they think we breath 100% O2. Those $$$ college degrees hard at work.

 

[DandyDon]

Have you ever found CO in a tank while on vacation?

Yep. And I test every tank.

 

[wgw04024]

I'm just saying...splitting hairs over this with people who don't dive is ridiculous. I could see it if they called it '100% oxygen'. Let's look at it this way, if you polled 1000 people on the street, and asked them 'what do you breath?', they are going to say 'oxygen'. Then, if you ask them whats in a scuba tank (which is what you breath), they'll say 'oxygen' most likely. It's not such a gross mistake.

 

[PfcAJ]

I'm just saying...splitting hairs over this with people who don't dive is ridiculous. I could see it if they called it '100% oxygen'. Let's look at it this way, if you polled 1000 people on the street, and asked them 'what do you breath?', they are going to say 'oxygen'. Then, if you ask them whats in a scuba tank (which is what you breath), they'll say 'oxygen' most likely. It's not such a gross mistake.

Exactly this.

Every time an article is posted the "look how smart I am" people come out of the woodwork to let everyone know that "haha! Gotcha! Divers don't breath oxygen! They breath (air nitrox trimix)!!! I'm sooooo smart!!"

We get it, guys. You're divers on a forum for diving.