Is Laughing Gas Just Helium?

Is it safe to inhale helium with laughing gas or does it pose problems for human health? This article explains all of that in detail. Let us read.

What is Laughing Gas:

Before we get into the question is it safe to inhale helium, we need to first clear this common misunderstanding that helium is not a “laughing gas”. There is another compound in gaseous form called nitrous oxide which has no color, no smell, and is not combustible. It has two nitrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom in its molecular structure. The most interesting thing about this gas is its anesthetic and euphoric effects upon inhalation in medical and dental procedures. This laughing gas is a 50/50 blend of oxygen and medical-grade nitrous oxide.

This laughing gas is used when necessary for dental surgical procedures to relax patients and cope with anxiety. The "laughing" is the side effect of this gas in such patients, hence the name laughing gas. Humphry Davy, a famous British chemist and inventor gave it the nickname "laughing gas" because of the euphoric feelings that occur while breathing it, which has led to its recreational usage as a dissociative anesthetic. Your dentist will combine oxygen and nitrous oxide to make this gas and make you feel more relaxed before drilling.

So, what happens when you inhale Helium?

Helium is a non-toxic gas and has a lower density than air and upon inhaling raises the pitch of a human voice giving you a squeaky voice. It has nothing to do when it comes to providing euphoric effects like the laughing gas. Because of the differing density and sound speed in helium compared to regular air, your speech will sound higher pitched. It also causes hypoxia or loss of body oxygen leading to being light-headed as inhaling it replaces supply of Oxygen in our bodies.

So, is it Safe to inhale Helium?

While it's unlikely to result in serious health problems or death, breathing in helium from a balloon can nevertheless happen. There have been many incidents in recent years where people reportedly died after breathing in helium from a balloon-filling pressurized tank, especially little children. This is extremely dangerous activity as the gas's far higher pressure than air, helium may rupture or bleed into your lungs when it rushes into them.

The bulk of significant health problems and fatalities resulting from helium inhalation are caused by breathing in gas from a pressurized tank to fill small balloons. It is worth mentioning that pure helium causes the body to lose oxygen, just like when you hold your breath. Should you be completely unable to breathe, your body would begin to fail within minutes as soon as the blood's oxygen reserves were depleted.

If you are inhaling helium for a longer period of time, your body will start to lack essential oxygen for a longer period which can result in Asphyxia in a matter of minutes. Air or gas embolism can also result in inhaling such gases which leads to a bubble getting lodged in a blood artery and ultimately resulting in blocking it. This can lead to blood vessel rupture and internal bleeding. On the other hand, laughing gas is one of the safest and most effective medications required in a health system as explained by the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

Helium also exits in another form called Heliox which is essentially a mixture of helium and oxygen and is used in medicine and scuba diving because the lighter gas may more easily flow through blocked airways. Inhaling this gas doesn’t cause hypoxia due to the presence of Oxygen.

Wrapping Up:

It can be stated that it’s not safe to inhale in large and pure forms, especially from a pressurized tank. Therefore, please do not inhale helium on your own without medical advice.