Monday, May 08, 2006
smoked
there is something wrong with my vision. it’s getting a bit blurry.
someone shouts: “usok usok!”
the inside of the bus is quickly enveloped with dark carbon monoxide. we pull over to the curb and slowly everyone goes down. Just my luck, I’m seated at the back part so I have to wait for almost all the passengers to get out before I get to breath the fresh South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) air.
everyone in the bus almost died.
carbon monoxide is the most toxic substance that a daily commuter will come in contact with. you cant smell, see or taste it which is why its considered as one of the most common type of accidental poisoning in the world.
symptoms:
shortness of breath
mild nausea
mild head ache
see why it can easily kill. the symptoms above can be blamed on hundreds of small causes, and by the time you figure out its carbon monoxide, it would be too late. Know that high levels of carbon monoxide in a contained environment can kill with in minutes.
And mind you, this aint the first time I’ve experienced carbon monoxide inside a bus. The last time I felt its presence, I was sharp enough to inform the other bus riders about the threat followed by me promptly going down. The funny thing was that no one followed me. here’s the Twilight Zone tragi-comic image in my head at the time:
I’m in a field surrounded by soldiers. I shout: are you with me!!! (to the top
of my lungs). Then I charge against the enemy, all by myself. Heee heee. I get
shot in the leg and scream: you bastards! The carbon monoxide will kill
you all!!!
Fact is, a lot of people are ignorant about the dangers of carbon monoxide. I once heard an urban legend on how this girl died in the parking lot of some mall after falling asleep in her air conditioned car. turns out the exhaust of her car seeped in and killed her as she slept. There’s an urban legend but I never hear, read or watch about it on the news. what are we to make of this?
“sakay sakay!”
the Kunduktor asks everyone to go back in. i ask the dude before I go up the bus steps:
“naayos nyo?”
“fanbelt fanbelt.”
“fanbelt?”
“ayos na.”
and so I go in, sniffing around for a doubtful scent. but then I’m midway to Alabang from Edsa, on the SLEX. I have no choice I guess.
# posted by ZeroZen @ 12:08 PM 
