# whats the danger of butane gas?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 14, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355 "2003-03-14T15:55:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@C2lin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C2lin)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/1 "2003-03-14T15:55:47Z")
hi readers.concerning of my health,if i was inhaling butane gas,what will the side effect be? will i have brain damage? and can you tell me how it will happen?and what is the other sympotms if you kept inhaling butane gas.will i avoid this sympotms if theres enough oxygen for me to breath around me?đ
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/2 "2003-03-14T16:00:44Z")
Why would you be breathing butane gas?
---
### Author:  [@C2lin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C2lin)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/3 "2003-03-14T16:03:32Z")
i doesnt know i was inhaling it,but some of my stuff was compressing the cap and all of the gas came out
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/4 "2003-03-14T16:08:13Z")
Unless youâre experiencing symptoms like headache, dizziness or nausea, youâll probably be fine. Make sure the area is well-ventilated and get plenty of fresh air.
---
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/5 "2003-03-14T16:15:09Z")
Butane isnât particularly toxic, but you could suffocate if the concentration was so high that the oxygen you were breathing was diluted. Lack of oxygen to the brain can cause brain damage, but youâd feel it first.
---
### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/6 "2003-03-14T16:31:27Z")
Inhaling explosive mixtiures of butane and oxygen can lead to a dreadful explosion if your cat comes to close and fires off a spark of static electricity.
---
### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/7 "2003-03-14T16:32:03Z")
Google for butane and MSDS; you will get a number of hits for **Material Safety Data Sheets** , documents required by the U.S. government for all chemicals. The MSDS for butane states that the main danger is indeed from asphyxiation, although lower concentrations can have narcotic effects, including dizziness, headache, nausea, and loss of coordination. Iâd guess that a carefully calibrated mixture of oxygen and butane will anaesthetize you, and send you softly to sleep, until your central nervous system shuts down and you never wake up.
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/8 "2003-03-14T16:32:23Z")
And you would know that _how_, **Squink**?
---
### Author:  [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/9 "2003-03-14T17:33:41Z")
yes butane is not really toxic. It can suffocate and explode. However, long term exposure to any organic is not good for you. People can sniff lighter gas to get high - which fries their brains after a year or so of use
---
### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-butane-gas/161355/10 "2003-03-14T18:45:33Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \*
> \*\*And you would know that _how_, **Squink**? \*\*
Youâre welcome to try the experiment at home if you want. Report back to us. Iâll be the âcontrolâ and stick to theoretical knowledge of the workings of piezoelectric butane lighters. đ