"Steve Walker" wrote in message
...
On 17/12/2019 11:11, Brian Reay wrote:
On 16/12/2019 09:31, Robert wrote:



I dont doubt what you post etc but not that long ago in the scheme of
things, people used acetylene lamps. They were used on the early cars
and
in caving into the 1970s at least. (I recall seeing some potholers use
them
in my teens.)

They worked by producing acetylene from the reaction between calcium
carbide and water from memory.


They also produced a small amount of Hydrogen Sulphide ,which gives the
bad-egg smell, from impurities in the Calcium Carbide.

Interesting. I've only seen such lamps a few times and not noticed that.
I wonder if, for cavers etc, they produce better quality (pure) Calcium
Carbide as H2S is dangerous. I believe it was used in WW1.

ISTR that if you can smell it, it is okay, when the concentration is
higher, the effect stops you smelling it. At least that is what we were
told in "O"-level chemistry - so it could be completely wrong!

No its not. There have been a few examples of people ending
up dead in submarines and other naval vessels when the system
used to process the **** and **** has failed and some have been
killed by H2S levels that they can no longer smell.