# Underwater Breathing Fluid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068 "2002-07-21T06:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justhink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@Justhink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justhink)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/1 "2002-07-21T06:57:44Z")
This is actually a few questions in one… Aparently, there is a fluid that fills the lungs with which one can last under water 30 minutes or so. This sounds like a reasonably safe phenomenon if it is indeed true. What’s up with this stuff? Anyone know? The reason I’m asking is that I have also heard of a medical process called “lung flushing” (my words) or some such prattle; where the lungs can be purged of most contaminants aquired and effectively cleaned. It occurs to me, that this process would significantly reduce the amount of damage that cigarettes can cause to long term smokers who quit. I believe the regeneration rate on lungs is 11 years (?). I can see the (immediate) benefits of undergoing such a process (increased blood flow to the brain and other organs from an increase in lung capacity and oxygen absorbtion)) as being highly motivating and invigorating to those quitting. It should increase their morale over-all. Is there a connaction here? If so, is there a good reason why its being suppressed as such? (i.e. cost) -Justhink ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/2 "2002-07-21T07:10:29Z")
[Here is a link](http://www.scienceweb.org/movies/abyss.html) about the perfluorocarbon breathing fluid (as seen in _The Abyss_). It goes into the history of its development, as well as some current medical uses. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/3 "2002-07-21T07:24:17Z")
And [here](http://www.allp.com/LiquiVent/lv_fact.htm) is some info on a product called _LiquiVent_ (which was mentioned in my previous link, actually), developed by Alliance Pharmceutical Corp., expressly for “lung flushing” (aka, liquid ventilation therapy). I don’t know that there is any sort of “suppression” of the technology at work here. It seems more likely that it’s just rather _new_ (my first link indicated that LiquiVent was being used on “preemies”, but adult trials were still under way, as of the site’s date of 1996). The LiquiVent site implies that studies are still ongoing. ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/4 "2002-07-21T11:33:16Z")
As Darwin mentioned and as you will find in researching this there isn’t much supression going on here other than a few guarded patents on process of formula. The reason it isn’t likely that you will see this in common use as is is mainly due to application and side effects. Premature babies who have needed this have also suffered some severe side effects from the use of the treatment. The most obvious being pneumonia which is bad in adult and horrible in a regular infant and an order of magnitude worse in the kind of preemie that would need fluid breathing. There are not really many practical common uses for this technology as it stands either. ---
**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/5 "2002-07-21T15:22:03Z")
Just a couple things. Fluid is much more difficult to move in and out of the lungs than gas so repiration becomes much more difficult (and tiring) unless there’s a mechanical ventilation assist. It’s also difficult to clear out the fluid when changing back to air/gas breathing which can lead to infection (and decreased blood oxygenation). Also, IIRC, the lungs are coated by fluid with a pretty complex surfactant that can be washed away by the breathing fluid which causes its own set of problems (like alveolar collapse). PC ---
**Author:** ![Justhink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@Justhink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justhink)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/6 "2002-07-23T04:19:31Z")
I imagine it has an application for coal workers, smokers and those who inhale freon. Since a vast sector of the population would be eligable for ‘insurance’ use of this technology (i.e. smokers and people living in LA ;), it seems that maybe certain folks don’t want it to be well known. I appreciate the links. I’m just suprized that not much ‘debate’ has taken place publicly in terms of this and smoking; being that there is a ‘quasi-war on smoking’. Some of these issues raised in terms of side-effects look fairly serious, but I imagine negligable with a little more focus (or simply releasing more classified forms). If the Navy Seals are worried about Arabs storming the U.S. from the bottom of the ocean… well I’ll just leave it at that =) -Justhink ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-breathing-fluid/120068/7 "2002-07-23T04:32:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PosterChild \* > Fluid is much more difficult to move in and out of the lungs than gas [nitpick}Liquids and gases are both fluids. [/nitpick}