Is breathing nitrous oxide dangerous?
While anaesthetists mix nitrous oxide with oxygen, recreational users sometimes do not. Breathing gas rushing from a cylinder can quickly flush all air out of the lungs and cause suffocation. Another hazard of nitrous oxide stems from the fact that it is NOT an ideal gas. N2O molecules attract each other. The attractions require energy to break, so the expansion absorbs heat and the temperature of the gas plummets. A rapid expansion of nitrous oxide can cool it enough to cause frostbite. People doing whippets have actually frozen their lips, tongues, or vocal cords- and under the anaesthetic influence of nitrous oxide, the damage is done before any pain is felt. Nitrous oxide has also been linked to birth defects, nerve damage, and permanent organ damage. References and Links A Short History of Chemistry, J. R. Partington, Dover, New York, 1989. Engravings showing the apparatus Priestley used to isolate nitrous oxide can be found in Partington’s book, along with much interesting biogra
While anaesthetists mix nitrous oxide with oxygen, recreational users sometimes do not. Breathing gas rushing from a cylinder can quickly flush all air out of the lungs and cause suffocation. Another hazard of nitrous oxide stems from the fact that it is NOT an ideal gas. N2O molecules attract each other. The attractions require energy to break, so the expansion absorbs heat and the temperature of the gas plummets. A rapid expansion of nitrous oxide can cool it enough to cause frostbite. People doing whippets have actually frozen their lips, tongues, or vocal cords- and under the anaesthetic influence of nitrous oxide, the damage is done before any pain is felt. Nitrous oxide has also been linked to birth defects, nerve damage, and permanent organ damage. References and Links A Short History of Chemistry, J. R. Partington, Dover, New York, 1989. Engravings showing the apparatus Priestley used to isolate nitrous oxide can be found in Partington’s book, along with much interesting biogra
