05/13/2016
So what is the significance of the Canary? The Canaries were used as a warning System for Coal Miners.
Early coal miners didn’t have the special equipment miners
have today to measure gas in the air, so it was impossible to
tell if the gases were building up to dangerous levels.
Miners started to use canaries to test the air quality in the
mines. Canaries are very sensitive to carbon monoxide. The
canaries would chirp and sing and make noise all day long.
But, if the carbon monoxide levels got too high, the canaries
would have trouble breathing, and maybe even die. When the
canaries were no longer singing, miners would know that the
gas levels were too high. They would leave the mine quickly
to avoid being caught in an explosion. This is how canaries
acted as a warning system for miners.
