Harmless as it may seem, though, inhaling helium can be dangerous — deadly, in fact. There are numerous case reports of serious injury and even death caused by helium inhalation. When you inhale helium, it displaces oxygen. This means that as you inhale, your body is only getting helium. Oxygen plays a role in every function of your body.
Many of the risks are the same as with other inhalants. Typically, inhaling a single breath of helium from a balloon will have the desired, voice-altering effect. It might also cause a bit of dizziness. There have been news reports of some folks, particularly young children, dying from asphyxiation after inhaling helium from a balloon.
The majority of serious health issues and deaths related to helium inhalation involve inhaling helium from a pressurized tank. These are the same tanks used to fill helium balloons at events or party supply stores. Tanks not only hold a lot more helium than your everyday party balloon, but they also release the helium with much more force.
The more pure helium you inhale, the longer your body is without crucial oxygen. Breathing in pure helium can cause death by asphyxiation in just minutes. Inhaling helium from a pressurized tank can also cause a gas or air embolism , which is a bubble that becomes trapped in a blood vessel, blocking it.
The blood vessels can rupture and hemorrhage. Have a seat, breathe normally, and wait it out. If you or someone else experiences any of the following after inhaling helium, call right away:. Unconsciousness can occur suddenly, without warning if gasses are inhaled and compressed gases create additional hazards. A number of accidental deaths and near misses sudden collapse have occurred from inhaling excessive amounts of helium from balloons or balloon filling systems.
Such cases are rare, but are typically in children or young people experimenting or playing pranks, without understanding the dangers. This site describes what the BBC does in relation to managing its health, safety and security risks and is intended for those who work directly for the BBC.
It is not intended to provide instruction or guidance on how third parties should manage their risks. The BBC cannot be held liable for how this information is interpreted or used by third parties, nor provide any assurance that adopting it would provide any measure of legal compliance.
More information. Science says that when you inhale helium, it displaces the oxygen already present in your body. That means that when you do inhale it, you are only inhaling helium; there is no oxygen. While a little bit is harmless, when you take in a lot of it, it can be dangerous. We all know that oxygen is important for all bodily functions; every single organ needs it.
With helium, you may be temporarily blocking the oxygen inside the body. Typically, when you inhale helium from a balloon, besides the change in voice, you may also experience slight dizziness. Then, there are other potential side effects also, like nausea and fainting spell. But, a helium balloon is unlikely to cause major health issues. It is still advisable to exercise precaution, especially when you are letting a child partake in such games. Now, if you are to inhale helium from other sources, say directly from the pressurized tank, you risk putting your health in danger.
It is believed that serious health issues and even death can be caused by taking in helium from a tank.
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