I want to know hypothetically, if a person was to buy two nitrogen tanks and then put it inside the trunk of his car, and then hop into the trunk and close it while leaving the nitrogen tanks on and staying in the trunk overnight, would this person die due to the nitrogen displacing the available oxygen in the trunk? And is it true that when someone inhales nitrogen, their body won't be able to tell the difference from oxygen which would mean the person wouldn't have any choking or suffocating sensation since the suffocating sensation is due to the build up of carbon dioxide in the body? Can the human body expel carbon dioxide if nitrogen is inhaled? Is this true? If the nitrogen displaces all the oxygen, would the person experience any choking/suffocating/panic sensation or would the person just fall asleep and die peacefully without knowing that they are suffocating? Just curious, your answers are appreciated.

 

 

 

 

It wouldn't take overnight. You'd pass out and die within minutes.

It wouldn't take overnight. You'd pass out and die within minutes.

Thanks for the response. I'm assuming everything else I stated in the thread is correct then? No panic/suffocation sensation?

No, I believe you just get sleepy and pass out peacefully. It's why it's so dangerous.

Thanks for the response. I'm assuming everything else I stated in the thread is correct then? No panic/suffocation sensation?

The body responds to a build-up of carbon dioxide which causes the suffocation response, not loss of oxygen. As long as the carbon dioxide is removed or dissipated you will breathe normally until you pass out. Dr Jonathan Miller, perhaps twenty to thirty years ago, demonstrated this on TV, under controlled conditions, on himself! The programme series was called The Body In Question.

Edited February 22, 20178 yr by StringJunky

I work in a chemical plant which specializes in pyrophoric material ( although I know very little chemistry ), so naturally everything has a nitrogen sweep/purge.

One thing that always needs to be done before maintenance work on any equipment or vessel is identifying and locating on the PnID, and isolating/locking in the field, all nitrogen sources as you will not notice you are 'suffocating'. You will simply pass out and be dead within a few minutes.

A lot of the fatalities in confined space entries are not from poisonous gases, but rather low oxygen ( and so high nitrogen ) levels.