Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Helium and Health 
Name: Steve
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
Are There any side effects when you inhale helium from a balloon!!I was told helium makes a small tiy hole in your brain which eliminates a brain cell and brain cells can not be replaced right.


Replies:
Helium is as inert as a gas can be. Helium itself won't drill holes in your brain or kill brain cells. The only health problem you might encounter from inhaling helium is oxygen deprivation, which can be very serious. This will only happen if the helium displaces all the oxygen from your lungs. As long as you don't breathe only helium, that is, if you take a few breaths of air after exhaling the helium, there should be no problem.

Richard Barrans Jr., Ph.D.


Click here to return to the Biology Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory