Monthly Archives: February 2024

Did you know that in the 19th century miners used canaries as gas detectors? A scientist by the name of John Haldane completed a series of studies on the cause of miner deaths and found many were because of airborne poisons. He determined the portability and anatomy of canaries made them an ideal early indicator of airborne poisons. Canaries are especially good at detecting toxins in the air because of their specialized respiratory system. When they inhale, they take in a large amount of air relative to it’s size, part of which it stores in air sacs distributed through their body. When they exhale, the air stored in the air sacs enters the lungs where an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs. So the bird is continuously breathing oxygen both when they inhale and when they exhale. This is what makes them vulnerable to airborne toxins and a good early indicator. How many of you carry canaries on your service trucks and bobtails? Luckily, we have had an advancement or two