• Question: if you breathed in too much helium would it damage you if not kill you

    Asked by KyleL07777777777777777777 to Fahim on 11 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Fahim Dhalla

      Fahim Dhalla answered on 11 Nov 2019:


      Hello!
      The bad news is that breathing helium can, in fact, kill you — but not because of the helium, rather because the lack of oxygen when you inhale the helium. If for example you decided to breathe in a balloon full of helium, you are not breathing in any oxygen, which your cells need for respiration – and we get this from the air we breathe. The lack of oxygen that comes from breathing in helium can cause fainting or even asphyxiation and death. Generally we should avoid breathing any gas that is not already in the air around you. But luckily, if we breath in air at the same time and only breath in a small amount of helium this will only make your voice change in sound and that’s all!

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