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Death due to Nitrous Oxide



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I thought the following article would be of interest, especially to those
fond of doing demonstrations. It appeared in the local (Morgantown)
newspaper.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - An MIT junior was found dead in his dorm room early
Tuesday after using a plastic bag to inhale laughing gas, campus officials
said.
The bosy of Richard Guy, 22, was discovered shortly after midnight Monday.
Guy, of Mission Viejo, Calif., was a physics major.
The medical examiner said Guy died from asphyxiation as a result of
nitrous oxide intoxication.
Pure nitrous oxide dissolves in the bloodstream, pushing oxygen out from
the blood into the lungs, depriving the brain and other organs of oxygen.
In September 1997, 18-year-old freshman Scott Krueger died three days
after he was found in an alcohol-induced coma on a fraternity floor.

The last sentence seems irrelevant to the main thread of the story, but I
give the story in its entirety.
The point is we must always emphasize the hazards associated with demos
when presenting them. We cannot assume that observers, even a physics
major, will not try to replicate something at home without realizing the
potential consequences. This story does not say; such warnings may have
been given in this case. We must still be careful about how we present and
describe demonstrations.

Greg
*************************************************************
Gregory Puskar gpuskar@wvu.edu
Academic Laboratory Manager (304)293-3422 x 1455
Physics Department (304)293-5732 (fax)
West Virginia University
PO Box 6315
Morgantown, WV 26506
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