Posted by Ueli (195.162.167.253) on July 08, 2000 at 08:02:54:
In Reply to: O2 with carbogene posted by Nancy on July 07, 2000 at 22:07:53:
Nancy, I don't know the word 'carbogene' but if it is the same as carbon dioxide CO2 then adding it to oxygen would be truly stupid. The purpose of breathing is not only to get oxygen, but also - and of same importance - to get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product from burning carbohydrates. In fact, when people start yawning in a crowded room, this is not do to lack of oxygen, as it's often said, but because of the accumulation of carbon dioxide. I doesn't matter much if the oxygen content in the air drops for half a percent from its normal value of 21%, but if the CO2 concentration approaches 0.5% we can no longer get rid of it. Any gas mixture with 5% of CO2 would be suffocating us in a short time!
PFNAD's
Ueli