My story is set roughly in the present day. The date isn't nailed down yet, but it's no earlier than 2006 and no later than right now, 2010. The location is an unnamed Bay Area / Silicon Valley (California, USA) city.
Something is causing people to fall unconscious for a while. Eventually they wake up. I have several questions related to this, all medical, and I haven't made much progress searching online. I've found a lot of different answers that conflict with each other, so I don't know what is right and what is wrong.
UNCONSCIOUSNESS QUESTION
1. How long can someone be unconscious without injury?
2. In an ideal scenario, can someone be unconscious up to 12 hours without injury?
2. If someone was unconscious for the maximum time possible without harm, how severe would their dehydration be?
I assume the person's bladder would be completely full. Would the person wake up with a raging thirst? According to my small amount of research, a headache seems likely.
Terms searched: "unconsciousness" "effects of unconsciousness" "how long can someone be unconscious" and many variations.
COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE QUESTION
I've done a lot of research into which airplane I needed for my story, and I determined a Boeing 767-400ER or 767-300ER fits my needs. My question is: are such airplanes "airtight" and if so, how long could someone survive in them before dying of CO2 poisoning?
Details: the pilot of the plane performed a successful emergency landing, but the pilot died inside the cabin alone (there was no co-pilot for plot-specific purposes - and yes I'm sure that breaks all sorts of protocol). There is only one passenger. Engines were shut down, but none of the doors or hatches have been opened.
My research online seems to indicate that airplanes are NOT airtight, but there is some conflicting information on websites. I found some links on this site and other sites on how to calculate buildup of CO2 in an airtight room, but I can't determine anything until I know if the plane is airtight. From my research it seems that if a room is not air tight, then it is unlikely that the CO2 will build up enough to kill.
Terms searched: "airtight + airplanes" "sealed airplanes" "air pressure airplanes" "suffocating + airplane" and many variations
Finally, are there any other questions related to this question I should be asking? Are there any really great airplane books or medical books or other books that I should check out?
Thank you so much!
