People trapped after disasters could be rescued by searching for the chemicals in their breath, scientists report.
Research published in the Journal of Breath Research describes experiments using volunteers in a mock-up of a collapsed building.
Molecules such as acetone and ammonia in the participants' breath were easily detected through the simulated rubble.
The findings are being used to develop an "electronic sniffer dog" that could search disaster sites for survivors.
A demonstration device has already been produced by one of the collaborators on the research, but the intent is to supplement rather than replace the search-and-rescue dogs currently employed.
"Dogs are fantastic but they don't work for very long, and they undergo injury and suffering as a result of their work in a search and rescue environment," said Paul Thomas, the Loughborough University chemist who led the research.
"We don't know what the dogs detect. The whole...
