Comments on: Adam Savage: satan

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:45:47 +0000

There is nothing particularly dangerous about the use of inert gases such as sodium hexafluoride or helium if you are in a well ventilated area. If you overdo it, you may pass out, but will probably resume breathing when you hit the floor. The reason this isn’t terribly deadly is because of the REASON you pass out. When you breathe CO, it displaces O2 on hemoglobin. Inert gases dilute CO2, the problem of course is that CO2 levels are how you determine you need to breathe: air hunger (incidentally, this is why hyperventilating before diving is so dangerous. It won’t increase the amount of O2 carried by hemoglobin, but it will deplete CO2 so y0u may run out of O2 before you FEEL like you need to take a breath).

Regarding the greenhouse effect: SF6 is very dense and doesn’t mix all that well with air which means it is found close to ground level which significantly limits its effectiveness as a greenhouse gas.

By: The Sky is Falling! « theBIOT

The Sky is Falling! « theBIOT — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:43:19 +0000

[...] (Note: The phrase My Somewhat Personal Acquaintance Phil PlaitTM in no way borrows from, makes use of or infringes upon My Somewhat Personal Acquaintance Phil PlaitTM’s adage for Mythbuster Adam Savage) [...]

By: Boingo

Boingo — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:09:17 +0000

Adam’s warning is indeed sound. I remember reading about a case a year or two ago where a couple of teens crawled inside a large helium (weather?) balloon for a laugh, and suffocated.

By: Mark Hansen

Mark Hansen — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:11:45 +0000

@Todd,
Agreed. Perhaps the best course of action is inaction where Nathan’s posting is concerned.

By: Todd W.

Todd W. — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:42:46 +0000

@Mark Hansen

From what I’ve seen of Nathan’s posts in this and other threads, he will not admit that he was wrong about anything, in the same way that he will critique just about anything without providing sound reasoning for the critique and the sources to back up the critique.

By: Mark Hansen

Mark Hansen — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:43:59 +0000

Nathan, no response? I shall take it that your silence is an admission of getting it wrong in saying that I suggested you use SF6. Calling me dishonest is really rich. Little tip; learn to read what others have written, not what you think they wrote.

By: Thomas Siefert

Thomas Siefert — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:36:22 +0000

Well so much for the secret behind the voice of Tom Waits….