is it bad for you to inhale helium?
2007-03-25 14:31:50 · 9 answers · asked by ironmen53 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
it is bad, there may be many impurities in the mix and you are not aware of those "other" gases, I live in Shanghai, we often go to an American Diner and they hand out helium balloons to the kids and tell everyone DO NOT inhale the helium, it is more impure here, just be careful, I would imagine once in a great while it is no big deal but if it is large amounts multiple times it would be very unhealthy
2007-03-25 14:38:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not as long as you inhale air soon after. Helium is non-toxic, but it displaces oxygen so you need to breathe air soon. The speed of sound is nearly three times as fast in helium as in air, so the resonant frequencies of the cavities in the head are much higher when full of helium. This raises the apparent pitch of the voice, even though the vocal cords are unaffected.
2007-03-25 22:22:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Helium contains no oxygen. If you inhale it (so you can talk funny) and aren't careful, you could pass out from lack of oxygen. The way to avoid this is to make sure you take breaths of good clean air between hits of helium.
2007-03-25 21:37:27 · answer #3 · answered by Sara 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It can be. Breathing in pure helium deprives the body of oxygen, as if you were holding your breath. If you couldn't breathe at all, you'd start to die in minutes—as soon as your body exhausted the supply of oxygen stored in the blood.
Death by helium still seems to be quite rare. U.S. Poison Control Centers reported only two fatalities between 2000 and 2004.
2007-03-25 21:37:07 · answer #4 · answered by malthisar 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If it is pure, then, no it will most certainly NOT hurt you. If, for example, you inhale it and hold your breath you will pass out. Guess what? Normal breathing continues and you regain consciousness. It is a silly thing to do, and you want to be seated when you do it, but it doesn't hurt you.
HTH
Charles
2007-03-25 22:08:05 · answer #5 · answered by Charles 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It is a gas that is heavier than air, and if inhaled to much, will cause serious breathing difficulties
2007-03-25 21:42:37 · answer #6 · answered by Beau R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It won't have any serious long-term affects in small doses (like making your voice high-pitched from a balloon), but it is harmful. Enough of it will certainly kill you.
2007-03-25 21:36:41 · answer #7 · answered by J H 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes, because you lose about a minute of your life depending on how much u take in
2007-03-26 00:16:08 · answer #8 · answered by thinker_creater_inventor 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you inhale to much!
2007-03-25 21:34:52 · answer #9 · answered by greeneflower 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋