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When a person inhales helium from a balloon or other inflated object, he is cutting off his access to oxygen. In this way, the person is actually suffocating himself on a cellular level. He is inhaling "air", but because there is no oxygen his body is becoming starved for it and cannot function as it should. If a person was to inhale helium for long enough, he could pass out and if oxygen was not promptly provided to him, he could suffocate and die.
Helium alone is very dangerous because it can cause your body to become deoxygenated quite rapidly, which will result in you suffocating and dying within a matter minutes. Helium can easily replace oxygen in your system, and thus can kill you quite quickly as a result. It's basically the same as holding your breath underwater until you drown, only the pain isn't as intense because helium is already in your lungs.
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∙ 12y ago
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Is helium or air you breathe out denser?
The air you breathe out is denser.
Can something breathe helium?
It depends on what you mean. We can breathe helium without any ill effects as long as we get enough oxygen. However, nothing could breathe and use helium as we breathe and use oxygen because helium is inert. Unlike oxygen, which is highly reactive, helium does not participate in chemical reactions, so it could not serve an organism any purpose.
How is helium used by humans?
they can breathe it in
Why does helium make you talk different?
helium is less dense than the normal air we breathe, so when you breathe helium out and your vocal chords vibrate, it comes out in a higher pitch tone.
What will happen when i breathe helium?
you will talk squeaky
Is helium unhealthy?
Helium itself is completely non-toxic. It is only dangerous if you breathe pure helium without a supply of oxygen.
How many times do you breathe in helium to get cancer?
Helium doesn't cause cancer, so from that perspective it doesn't matter.
Does helium cause brain damage?
No. It is an inert gas. But, if you only breathe helium, you may deprive your brain of oxygen, and that can be fatal.
Could you die from helium?
Not exactly. Helium is an inert gas, and is not toxic.However, you could die from not having oxygen, so if you breathe only helium, yes you could die.
Is helium poisenous?
No however the lack of oxygen is deadly. It is unlikely that you will hurt yourself sucking the helium out of balloons, as long as you breathe oxygen in between breaths of helium. There is a small percentage of helium (.0005%) in the earths atmosphere.
Can helium make people float?
No, helium is toxic to your lungs and can kill you if you breathe it long enough, or you could have severe lung damage done to you.
What 2 gasses is mostly in the air you breathe?
The air we breathe contains 78% Nitrogen and 20% Oxygen. The remainder is Helium and other gases
