Is Inhaling Hydrogen and Oxygen Safe for Your Health?

[Kalrag]

Just a quick question; if someone was to inhale two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of Oxygen, say from a Hydrogen Fuel Cell where it splits water, would it be safe or would it cause health problems if you inhaled it for a period of time?

 

[Drakkith]

JUST 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 of oxygen? It would be perfectly safe, as there isn't nearly enough to do anything to you.

However, if you breathe from a tank of hydrogen and a tank of oxygen at the same time...well...bad things might happen. Such as your lungs being blown to the outside of your body.

 

[SpectraCat]

Just a quick question; if someone was to inhale two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of Oxygen, say from a Hydrogen Fuel Cell where it splits water, would it be safe or would it cause health problems if you inhaled it for a period of time?

I don't think you have to worry about atoms of hydrogen or oxygen being given off from a fuel cell ... molecules perhaps, but not atoms.

 

[Borek]

Breathing oxygen/hydrogen mixture is both safe and dangerous.

Safe - as without a source of ignition this mixture is as good for breathing as air is (especially if partial pressure of oxygen is OK). I think this mixture was tested for really deep scuba diving, as it helps to prevent nitrogen narcosis.

Dangerous - as source of ignition may make you look like Fukushima reactor building. That why hydrogen is NOT routinely used in deep scuba diving - helium/oxygen mixtures have similar properties, but are much safer.

 

[russ_watters]

Fuel cells make water, they don't split it.

 

[mrspeedybob]

http://blog.healia.com/files/u5/no_smoking.jpg