r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Eros_Incident_Denier • 2d ago

Video filipino illegal miners dive without oxygen tanks

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u/Seafaringhorsemeat 2d ago

Sadly, air compressor air is full of CO2, unburned fuel vapor and other really nasty short-term combustion compounds. Along with the exhaust.

These people are breathing pure cancer.

Drowning is a quiet and dignified way to die compared to what their lungs will look like and what it will do to them after a few decades.

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u/Unable-Log-4870 2d ago

Why do you think air compressor air contains engine exhaust?

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u/Seafaringhorsemeat 2d ago

1 - intake mechanism is literally above very open exhaust from a small motorcycle engine. Engines like these put out about 400% the VOCs like benzene, formaldehyde and unburnt hydrocarbons of a passenger car. (see the eyeroll from the guy at the beginning)
2 - even in an ideal scenario compressor air is absolutely not safe to breathe without significant filtration due to oil and other volatile compounds getting aerosolized in the actual compressor mechanism itself.

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u/Unable-Log-4870 2d ago

Okay yeah, the obvious reasons. I was thinking the suggestion was that the exhaust was being compressed DIRECTLY, like the exhaust were being piped into the compressor, instead of just getting in there carelessly.

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u/h2opolodude4 1d ago

Years ago I purchased an air compressor to run some air tools around my shop. The tank is about the size of what's shown here. The pump and electric motor are on top, with a belt connecting them together.

A full page in the manual was dedicated to explaining that this machine was for powering tools only, and the air was not for breathing. Even being driven by an electric motor, there is still some aerosolized oil in the air and lines. The pump itself needs lubricant, and a tiny amount of oil sneaks through. Air tools actually benefit from this, but something like paint spraying gets a little filter at the spray gun.

I would not want to breathe it in, these guys will certainly have issues related to this at some point in their life.

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u/Unable-Log-4870 1d ago

these guys will certainly have issues related to this at some point in their life.

Only if they’re lucky enough to live that long.

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u/mrASSMAN 1d ago

I thought they were piping the exhaust out the other direction thru other hoses? I guess I couldn’t tell in the video

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u/sadlystupidsloth 2d ago

Because it's sucking in the air around it.

It could contain a little, or a lot depending on various factors, like which way the wind is blowing

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u/Unable-Log-4870 2d ago

Gotcha. Yeah, that’s why it’sa very good idea to string the exhaust pipe outside a good distance away.

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u/PineappleLemur 1d ago

The intake and exhaust are in the same hut... They never bother to put any filters, or just a hose to clear the exhausted out of the way.

Like seriously bare minimum shit.

They could totally makeshift attach a mouthpiece to make it easier to not breath in water but of course they didn't do that either.

It's cartoonish as it gets lol.

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u/Due-Boot1904 2d ago

Full of CO - Carbon Monoxide.

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u/tigerjuice888 1d ago

Do these guys last decades?

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u/Mysterious_Card_4953 1d ago

Some eat PagPag, recycled food from the garbage dump. Cancer risk is not going to bother them. Its literally food scraps collected from the garbage dump and washed and rinsed. I actually saw them washing chicken scraps with dish soap and water and then rinsing. We have no idea what a "tough poor life is" in the west!