> The British had an issue with people killing themselves with oven fumes, back when the ovens used coal gas which created a lot of carbon monoxide, with this accounting for about 50% of suicide deaths.
This detail is a little wrong or at least confusing. The coal gas (typically called "Town gas") was about 10-20% carbon monoxide, along with hydrogen, and other flammable gases. When set aflame in a ventilated room, the carbon monoxide burns - like the other gases - producing mostly carbon dioxide which is still slightly poisonous but since we breathe huge amounts of it already it's not near the top of your list of problems.
In this era British people (maybe 1000 per year or so) commit suicide by turning on the gas supply to an oven but not lighting it. The phrase "stick my head in the oven" signifies suicide for this reason, the implication is not that you would cook your head, but that you would deliberately breathe the poisonous carbon monoxide and die.
This detail is a little wrong or at least confusing. The coal gas (typically called "Town gas") was about 10-20% carbon monoxide, along with hydrogen, and other flammable gases. When set aflame in a ventilated room, the carbon monoxide burns - like the other gases - producing mostly carbon dioxide which is still slightly poisonous but since we breathe huge amounts of it already it's not near the top of your list of problems.
In this era British people (maybe 1000 per year or so) commit suicide by turning on the gas supply to an oven but not lighting it. The phrase "stick my head in the oven" signifies suicide for this reason, the implication is not that you would cook your head, but that you would deliberately breathe the poisonous carbon monoxide and die.