Is it safe to inhale sulfur hexafluoride?

2023-08-21

1. Is hexafluoride poisonous?

Sulfur hexafluoride is physiologically inert and is considered an inert gas in pharmacology. But when it contains impurities such as SF4, it becomes a toxic substance. When inhaling high concentrations of SF6, symptoms of asphyxia such as dyspnea, wheezing, blue skin and mucous membranes, and general convulsions may occur.

2. Does sulfur hexafluoride make your voice lower?

The sound change of sulfur hexafluoride is just the opposite of the sound change of helium, and the sound is rough and low. When sulfur hexafluoride is inhaled, sulfur hexafluoride will fill the surrounding vocal cords. When we make a sound and the vocal cords vibrate, what is driven to vibrate is not the air we usually speak but sulfur hexafluoride. Because the molecular weight of sulfur hexafluoride is larger than the average molecular weight of air, the frequency of vibration is lower than that of air, so there will be a deeper and thicker sound than usual.

3. How long is the validity period of sulfur hexafluoride?

The general shelf life of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles below zero is 1 year.

4. Is sulfur hexafluoride worse than carbon dioxide?

SF6 sulfur hexafluoride is also the strongest known greenhouse gas. Compared with the familiar CO2 carbon dioxide, the intensity of SF6 sulfur hexafluoride is 23,500 times that of CO2 carbon dioxide. In addition, SF6 sulfur hexafluoride cannot be decomposed naturally. The influence can last for more than a thousand years; the characteristics of being cheap and easy to use, coupled with the characteristics of being able to exist for thousands of years without natural decomposition, make this gas the most neglected and most serious pollution in "green power generation".

5. How much heavier is sulfur hexafluoride than the air we breathe?

SF6 gas is colorless, ignorant, non-toxic, non-flammable, and stable gas. SF6 is a relatively heavy gas, which is about 5 times heavier than air under standard conditions.

6. Is sulfur hexafluoride a drug?

The side effects of sulfur hexafluoride on the human body are usually mild and short-term, and can recover automatically without sequelae. Sulfur hexafluoride is a diagnostic drug used in ultrasound imaging examinations, echocardiography, and vascular Doppler examinations to improve the identification of disease. Sulfur hexafluoride is used for ultrasonic diagnosis and needs to be used in medical institutions with emergency conditions and equipped with rescue personnel, and it needs to be injected by a doctor. If an allergic reaction occurs during or after the use of sulfur hexafluoride, it will manifest as skin erythema, bradycardia, hypotension and even anaphylactic shock. If you have systemic and local discomfort symptoms, you should promptly notify the doctor or go to the hospital for examination. After taking the medicine, it is necessary to observe in the relevant medical institution for half an hour to prevent allergic reactions. The use of sulfur hexafluoride in patients with cardiovascular disease may aggravate heart disease.

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