What dangerous gasses are encountered while digging up old gold?

[Royague]

In mexico there's many stories of people who go to dig up gold and die sometime later. It's supposedly because of the dead cursing you, I know better, but what I don't know is exactly what gases there are to kill you, therefore I can't protect myself! Help me out treasurenet! Maybe some resources for masks one could buy for protection would be nice, too.
Sorry if this isn't the BEST place to post, this looks about right to me and I did try looking.

[vpnavy]

I searched Google and found "...There are poisonous gasses in the ground especially where you find long-time buried metals. In the case of gold, we an expect to find cyanide and hydrogen sulfide among other toxic gases..." Solutions ranging from "gas masks" to canaries were discussed!

[elh]

An old dowser which I cannot name because of family courtesy, ( he passed away several years ago) said that once you uncover gold or silver,
simply back away and let it air out for an hour or so. The gas will dissipate. He made the statement that the gas will cause a heart attack later on,
possibly within a week or two.
If the treasure is in an airtight container, just remove the cover and back up.

[walnuttree]

Very interesting. I'll have to remember that if and when I find treasure. For now. it's enough that i have to let my tap water gas off before I drink it, I'm from Jersey.

[boogeyman]

I searched Google and found "...There are poisonous gasses in the ground especially where you find long-time buried metals. In the case of gold, we an expect to find cyanide and hydrogen sulfide among other toxic gases..." Solutions ranging from "gas masks" to canaries were discussed!

I'd go with the canary! Much better company. Ever try to carry on a conversation with a gas mask?


Sorry just couldn't resist...........

[audigger53]

I searched Google and found "...There are poisonous gasses in the ground especially where you find long-time buried metals. In the case of gold, we an expect to find cyanide and hydrogen sulfide among other toxic gases..." Solutions ranging from "gas masks" to canaries were discussed!

Now other than the Green Gold mine, lost and found in Calif 3 times, The gases from gold before using cyaniade to leach it out of ore (1900's), can't happen as gold is inert. Now if bodies or horses were buried with it then there could be danger if it was sealed (air tight). BTW I take a lot of what is on the Net with a 'Large' grain of Salt as the old saying goes. The canary goes back to 'Bad Air' in mines which includes lack of O2 in the air, like candles burning blue. Most of the posion gases in mines go back to coal mining, not gold. For gold and silver, lack of air to breath if cross drifts to the outside for circulation were not made. Just my opinion of course.

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Hydrogen sulfide occurs where organic matter decomposes. Carbon monoxide where gasoline and diesel engines are used as pumps or generators.

A mask won't help for either of those. You need a self-contained oxygen/air supply.

[ecmjamsit]

In mine shafts you have to pump in fresh air. It displaces the toxic gases that can seep out of the rock. So many possible poisonous and deadly gases could be there, I couldn't begin to list them all.

[deepsix47]

Here in the US the only problem I've run into is the danger of Mercury and Cyanide. Both were used extensively by the early miners to leach the fine powder gold from the black gold bearing sands. Just normal precautions with your personal hygiene will probably be enough to protect yourself.

Mexico, the Yucatan, Guatemala, Honduras, etc. is a different story. Most of the gold and silver artifacts that are found come from mounds, caves and cenotes. The mounds and caves are virtually always burial sites. Many of them are mass burials and the remains in them were often the victims of horrible diseases carried here by the Spaniards on their conquest of this New World. These diseases, Cholera, Plague, etc. are still laying there in those graves,absorbed in the soil, just waiting to be exposed to the air again. They are as deadly now as they always were.

If you have talked your way onto a legitimate dig, or whatever. BE A BELIEVER! Make sure before you leave this country that your shot card in complete and up to date. Remember, your Yellow Fever shot can only be had at a military base.

Deepsix47

[signal_line]

Around here there are rabid bats and other scavengers like skunks. Years ago I was hitch-hiking and a spelunker gave me a ride and told about someone he knew who got rabies just from breathing the air. Now H2S gas is extremely bad. First off your nose goes numb and you can't smell it. If a football was filled with H2S it would be enough to kill a room full of people. Once there is enough concentration just one breath will cause permanent damage. I heard a TH'er got some kind of debilitating lung disease from entering a cave. Of course everyone has heard of people entering the pyramids getting the pharaoh's curse. Ah, just all hearsay.

[Quinoa]

If you get a cut or a puncture type wound in the field and end up with a fever and chills a week to 2 weeks later, along with any joint pain or pain around the wound, you should immediately go to the doctor and get treated for staph aureus which can be cured with antibiotic shots followed up by 2-3 weeks of oral antibiotic. Make sure it doesn't come back on you. Any sign of pain following the antibiotic course go back for more antibiotic. It will kill you from sepsis (blood poisoning from the bacteria) if left untreated within a short time after the high fever sets in. Same symptoms a few "curses" did if you look them up.