Gassed When Wild Camping

  • Thread starter Thread starter grahameroadstar
  • Start date Start date
even though this thread is 16 months old and should have been left in the past, there is one obvious and logical point which makes it very hard to believe.

a fully grown adult woman and a seven year old child.......

if the mother was gassed to unconsciousness then the child would be dead.

stop and think about it.....two completely different body masses needing completely different amounts of gas to render unconscious. :Doh:

another case of sleeping very deeply and not waking to the thief entering.

ooops...just read motorvatings post :Blush:
 
Certainly the risk of carbon monoxide from faulty appliances and incorrectly ventilated vans is a much more realistic and dangerous problem....

Just make sure that detector has batteries in it and is working correctly.

But, If it means you sleep more comfortably....There are detectors/alarms available...
 
If it is the low life that are carrying out the alleged gassings, where do "they" get the gas from? Would they buy it? If so, where is it bought and what restrictions are in place to stop it falling into the wrong hands? Would they steal it? if so, where do they steal it from, and how do they transport it? Also, why does it seem that only british motorhome owners fall foul of this dastardly crime? These criminals are amazing at the administration of anaesthetics that l can only wonder in awe.
 
A Doctors opinion .. Interestingly, he doesn't rule it out completely and even though he gives it no credence he has fitted an alarm... confusing or what :RollEyes:

Dr Park's opinion
Such is the confusion over the subject that we decided to enlist the opinion of reader Dr Gilbert Park, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, in Cambridge. We asked him to tell us, using his professional experience, whether he believed that gas attacks were possible or, indeed, likely.
Dr Park says that "according to the media the incidents are increasing. The occupants of motorhomes are being rendered unconscious by narcotic (sleeping) gases being sprayed into the vehicle before the occupants are robbed.
"The commonest narcotic gas available to criminals is contained in sprays designed to help reluctant vehicle engines to start. These contain diethyl ether, the same sort of gas used to anaesthetise humans for medical operations.
"Other gases, such as propane, may also be used but these are not narcotic. They replace the oxygen in air thereby suffocating the vehicle's occupants.
"When I was training as an anaesthetist, many years ago now, I was taught to use ether to put healthy humans off to sleep for surgery. It is not easy. Ether is a pungent vapour that causes coughing and irritation of the airways.
It is also very slow to act. Even when holding a mask over the patient's face, minutes would pass before they went to sleep. During the phase of going off to sleep there can be a period of excitement when the patient might become very restless. Because of these and other difficulties, ether is no longer used and has been replaced by other anaesthetic drugs.
"It is difficult to believe that a concentration of ether sufficient to put somebody to sleep, could be delivered by spraying the gas into a motorhome through a ventilation plate. However, it might be possible to make an occupant more sleepy than normal by using a low concentration of ether, especially if they are tired after a long drive, or possibly after a nice glass or two of red wine.
"If a robbery were to be discovered, the pungent smell of ether would still be present and could not be missed. Interestingly, few of the reports I have read mention this. But if it is used and the driver has been sedated then they probably shouldn't drive for 24 hours afterwards in order to allow the effects to wear off completely - just like being given sedation in hospital.
"So, do I think the risk of being anaesthetised, or suffocated, is enough to make me buy an alarm? No. Will I fit one to my 'van? Yes. Why? Because ether, and the other gases, are highly flammable. Ether fires are terrifying and I would like to know if someone were spraying this into my motorhome. Every month, the pages of magazines contain three or four adverts for gas detectors, to protect against such a problem. Furthermore, criminals probably don't read Practical Motorhome and may still believe they can anaesthetise us with an ether spray.
An alarm might just frighten off these would-be attackers."
Click to expand...
 
ScotJimland said:
A Doctors opinion .. Interestingly, he doesn't rule it out completely and even though he gives it no credence he has fitted an alarm... confusing or what :RollEyes:
Click to expand...

As I read it he totally rules out that gassing is possible. However, he appears to be playing safe by saying that, as the gassing myth continues, some criminals may actually believe that it works and give it a try. There's no evidence of this whatsoever, as, has someone has already said, where would these low-lifes get it from? We're not talking sophisticated criminals here but unemployed thugs with average or lower than average I.Q.s. If they were that clever, do you think that they'd be going to all this trouble for what the average caravanners have in their possession?

I prefer to believe the report from his professional body, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, which said:

Recent RCoA statement on alleged gassing in motor vehicles:

Despite the increasing numbers of reports of people being gassed in motor-homes or commercial trucks in France, and the warning put out by the Foreign Office for travellers to be aware of this danger, this College remains of the view that this is a myth.

It is the view of the College that it would not be possible to render someone unconscious by blowing ether, chloroform or any of the currently used volatile anaesthetic agents, through the window of a motor-home without their knowledge, even if they were sleeping at the time. Ether is an extremely pungent agent and a relatively weak anaesthetic by modern standards and has a very irritant affect on the air passages, causing coughing and sometimes vomiting. It takes some time to reach unconsciousness, even if given by direct application to the face on a cloth, and the concentration needed by some sort of spray administered directly into a room would be enormous. The smell hangs around for days and would be obvious to anyone the next day. Even the more powerful modern volatile agents would need to be delivered in tankerloads of carrier gas by a large compressor. Potential agents, such as the one used by the Russians in the Moscow siege are few in number and difficult to obtain. Moreover, these drugs would be too expensive for the average thief to use.

The other important point to remember is that general anaesthetics are potentially very dangerous, which is why they are only administered in the UK by doctors who have undergone many years of postgraduate training in the subject and who remain with the unconscious patient throughout the anaesthetic. Unsupervised patients are likely to die from obstruction of the airway by their tongues falling back. In the Moscow seige approximately 20% of the people died, many probably from airway obstruction directly related to the agent used.

If there was a totally safe, odourless, potent, cheap anaesthetic agent available to thieves for this purpose it is likely the medical profession would know about it and be investigating its use in anaesthetic practice.

I rest my case!

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Hi,

Why do the police in the countries where this type of crime are reported keep giving it credence, surely the powers to be in these countries should be educating them to stop spreading the mith as it must have some affect on the tourist trade etc.

Its not only motorhomes that the mith pertains to, there have been many reported incidents in apartments and villas, which in my opinion makes it even more questionable as to fill that sized space you would need a tanker not a bottle.
 
Braunston said:
Hi,

Why do the police in the countries where this type of crime are reported keep giving it credence, surely the powers to be in these countries should be educating them to stop spreading the mith as it must have some affect on the tourist trade etc.

Its not only motorhomes that the mith pertains to, there have been many reported incidents in apartments and villas, which in my opinion makes it even more questionable as to fill that sized space you would need a tanker not a bottle.
Click to expand...

I agree entirely but I'm not sure that the police actually do give it much credence but, faced with motor-homers who believe the myth and are anxious about an insurance payout they may tend to go along. Having said that though, I suspect that many robberies which are claimed as gassings, are simply entered by the police as robberies. I give French police a bit more credit than some do and I'm pretty sure that they know that gassing is a myth
 
Dentristy gas my arse it must have been laughing gas, because thats what it made me do after reading you're post,

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nomadtim said:
Dentristy gas my arse it must have been laughing gas, because thats what it made me do after reading you're post,
Click to expand...

Erm...

"dentistry gas" is "laughing gas" is nitrous oxide....:)
 
Why was this thread rejuvenated? I thought that ones this old and out of date would have been fossilised ...
 
It is, look who's been reading it.

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That's awful but I think by "aires" (rest areas) you must mean the rest areas on motorways? I think you do as they've always had a bad reputation. By contrast the aires (like you find in the excellent "All the Aires France/Low Countries/Spain etc" series by Vicarious books are as safe as houses and so well used, and often off the beaten track too, that I'd wager that they're all safer than wild camping in England.
Over the last 20 years, in various vehicles on and off, I must have used 100's of them and never had any problems whatsoever. The company is usually friendly and their locations are often perfect for exploring local beauty spots, beaches and historic sites. On a trip in 2012 Aires enabled convenient access to several medieval villages in S. France where there was otherwise nowhere to park. Also of course they often have essential services.
But avoid motorway aires at all costs, I wouldn't even pull into one let alone spend the night. Avoid motorway petrol stations too. I find a very easy way to travel easily and safely - I untick the "toll roads" box on my sat-nav; what's the rush?
 
Old thread and deleted OP.

We have used aires ever since we started motorhoming six years ago,and have never
had any problems doing so.
Mostly these things happen to a friend of and friend and they never have any evidence
to back it up!
France is a safe country on the whole,but like any where in the world you have to have
your wits about you.If you arrive at an aire and there are no other motorhomes there,
or it doesnt feel right, move to the next one.
Like most on here I will always use a mixture of aires and campsites and enjoy the
motorhome life I have grown to love!:)
 
I don't believe gassing is possible but I have a gas alarm. It will warn of a gas leak and also if some lowlife believes spraying quick start will do any good it will also warn hopefully before there is a fire.
The dogs occasionally test it.
 
yawning-smiley-face.png

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Alright! alright!
So wheres the bit about what wuz nicked, lifted, taken EH!

£2000 The latest super duper fresh off the plane iPad iPhone, Professional Camera, worth more than the M/H:rolleyes: The little Ladies bling, handed down in the family for eons:cool: Tsar Nicks Faberge Egg, Elizabeth Tudor's finger nail, lets not forget a frock from Posh Spice's "shop"
AND! the Dog too:doh:!


Oh noooo! not the bloody Dog as well:swear2:

Porcine Squadron Refueled, re armed and ready to fly SAH!
 
grahameroadstar said:
hi,
be warned not to stay in aires in france, especially south of lyon.
my wife and seven year old son at the time, used too, until we were gased. it is an epidemic in france, thats according to the french police.
burglars will fill you van via the air vents with dentistry gas whilst your sleeping rendering you partly unconscious. they then enter your vehicle and have all the time to do what that please. a very distubing experience and still plays on my mind, that they could of removed my son demanding all sorts of money or payments. cameras passports cash rings wallets purses handbags sat navs credit cards anything and everything with a value went.

please be careful
grahame
Click to expand...

Did your insurance company pay out your claim? If you published a copy of your claim form together with the police report which you must surely have, people might give the account some credence, otherwise....................
 
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I'm picking up these posts as they come through as a wannabe newbie and some have been interesting (like being towed out of Peterborough show - must check tow hook when buying).

This one though has had me in tears with laughter this morning - or maybe somebody has let off some tear gas in my house.
 
adt said:
I'm picking up these posts as they come through as a wannabe newbie and some have been interesting (like being towed out of Peterborough show - must check tow hook when buying).

This one though has had me in tears with laughter this morning - or maybe somebody has let off some tear gas in my house.
Click to expand...
They have probably been practising in order to gas you properly the first time you park up in your motorhome.:eek::eek::whistle:
 
It's always a fun competition on this forum to see who raises the first gassing thread of spring. Its like a first cuckoo thing. However for it to count as part of the competition it has to be a new one not a long dead one resurrected.
 
peterc10 said:
It's always a fun competition on this forum to see who raises the first gassing thread of spring. Its like a first cuckoo thing. However for it to count as part of the competition it has to be a new one not a long dead one resurrected.
Click to expand...
Perhaps it's time for a new competition.

Who can resurrect the oldest thread while still keeping it current?

If we could only combine a story about someone who had their A frame stolen while they were gassed, and didn't notice until they were dumping their grey water on the ground of the campsite, we might be getting somewhere!:rolleyes:

Alternative threads could include....

Would you rather have your Rolex or your iPad stolen whilst you were gassed?

Any other themes welcomed.

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