page 31, no.186, August 2004
Strange Deaths - unusual ways of shuffling off the mortal coil
Three men aboard the South Korean fishing boat Dong Woo died after inhaling gases from rotting squid guts, a cargo destined to be salted and served as a delicacy in Korea and Japan. On 17th April, recuers found the men dead in the hold and the captain, the sole survivor, unconscious beside them. The International Maritime Organisation says asphixiation in closed spaces casues 4% of accident deaths on fishing boats, which are the world's most dangerous workplaces. The Dong Woo's crew were probably killed by hydrogen sulphide. Even low concentrations of the gas paralyse the olfactory nerve, making the warning smell of rotten eggs disappear.
Originally from the New Scientist 24th April 2004.
KRin
Strange Deaths - unusual ways of shuffling off the mortal coil
Three men aboard the South Korean fishing boat Dong Woo died after inhaling gases from rotting squid guts, a cargo destined to be salted and served as a delicacy in Korea and Japan. On 17th April, recuers found the men dead in the hold and the captain, the sole survivor, unconscious beside them. The International Maritime Organisation says asphixiation in closed spaces casues 4% of accident deaths on fishing boats, which are the world's most dangerous workplaces. The Dong Woo's crew were probably killed by hydrogen sulphide. Even low concentrations of the gas paralyse the olfactory nerve, making the warning smell of rotten eggs disappear.
Originally from the New Scientist 24th April 2004.
KRin
