|
|
Subject:
Death from carbon dioxide poisoning
Category: Science > Chemistry Asked by: fernando79-ga List Price: $5.00 |
Posted:
17 Feb 2005 18:14 PST
Expires: 22 Feb 2005 18:31 PST Question ID: 476298 |
Why if one dives to a depth of 132 feet underwater with a scuba tank containing 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, death from carbon dioxide poisoning takes place? |
|
There is no answer at this time. |
|
Subject:
Re: Death from carbon dioxide poisoning
From: bluefishinc-ga on 18 Feb 2005 06:36 PST |
I have never heard that this is the case. I'm a PADI divemaster, and I'm working on instructor certification, and we're required to study quite a bit about dive theory. At that depth, you would have to be aware of nitrogen building up in your tissues, requiring you to ascend slowly and stop at designated depths to offload the excess nitrogen to avoid decompression sickness, otherwise known as the bends. Another problem when diving enriched air (nitrox), which usually contains 32% to 40% oxygen, is oxygen toxicity. |
Subject:
Re: Death from carbon dioxide poisoning
From: tessier-ga on 20 Feb 2005 00:25 PST |
There is no reason that death from CO2 should necessarily occur when diving to a depth of 132 feet. There are several conditions which could lead to CO2 poisoning though. If the diver is trying to conserve oxygen and hypoventilating, there may not be sufficient CO2/O2 exchange resulting in a CO2 buildup in the bloodstream. The same can occur if the diver has impaired lung function and for physical reasons cannot breathe adequately. If the scrubber in the rebreather the diver was using is faulty, there may be too much CO2 in the breating mix. See http://www.answers.com/topic/hypercapnia. |
If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you. |
Search Google Answers for |
Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy |