CO2 Not Just an Asphxiant

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
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In her report, What exactly is dry ice?, Karen says,

CO2 is actually toxic. It is not just dangerous because it can displace air (and therefore oxygen), like nitrogen, argon, methane, etc. The body regulates respiration by the CO2 content of the blood, not by the oxygen levels. Getting the CO2 level too high in the blood basically throws this whole system off track and Bad Things happen. Here’s a typical CO2 safety data sheet,

http://www.hoopersupply.com/msds/co2.htm

I did some research work with supercritical CO2 as a solvent in tertiary mixtures. When venting the pressure cell we used for experimentation, it was a good idea to leave the room if you started to feel a little lightheaded or altered.

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Indeed, the actress Mira Furlan had a nasty reaction to CO2-generated “fog” while filming the episode “Atonement” of “Babylon 5”.

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Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home.

Having said that ( :slight_smile: ), back when I used to work in a pharmaceutical lab, my supervisor surprised me one day in my first week by sidling up to me and blowing a hugely impressive stream of fog out of his nostrils. Turns out he had a chip of dry ice in his mouth.

Lots of us used to perform the same trick and we never came to any harm. You just have to keep rolling it around on your tongue. Still don’t try it at home, though.