3 ms·

How can you tell? It sounds pretty painful. There is a painless way of killing, through asphyxiation by inert gas (e.g. nitrogen, but not carbon dioxide).

ZeroGravitas 9y ago
Googling suggests that animal welfare organisations currently suggest maceration is the best alternative, being better than carbon dioxide which gets second place. Do you happen to know why they don't promote your suggestion of suffucation with nitrogen?
- DonaldFisk 9y ago
  I can't speak for animal welfare organizations. Maceration is quicker than CO2 asphyxiation. Animals (including humans) can detect high levels of CO2 but most (rodents are an exception) can't detect low levels of oxygen. I found these articles: https://www.upc-online.org/slaughter/report.html https://www.upc-online.org/slaughter/report.html (scroll down to Gas Stunning). https://www.hsa.org.uk/downloads/technical-notes/TN12-gas-killing-of-chickens-and-turkeys.pdf https://www.hsa.org.uk/downloads/technical-notes/TN12-gas-ki... Both recommend inert gas asphyxiation but in the context of adult birds. Scientists are looking into in ovo sexing: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-016-0116-6 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-016-0116-6
- xkcd-sucks 9y ago
  Yeah given the extremely robust panic response induced by co2-- to the point where co2 is used as an animal model of panic-- almost any other gas is better.
  - wnkrshm 9y ago
    Exactly, that feeling of asphyxiation you get when you hold your breath is not because of low oxygen levels - your body doesn't know about those - but high CO2 concentration.
gambiting 9y ago
I don't know what part of dying instantly would be painful - that's sort of the point of the "instantly" part. If you watch a video of this process on YouTube it's incredibly quick.
- DonaldFisk 9y ago
  Fast pain receptors send signals to the brain at a speed of between 5 and 30 metres per second (via A-delta fibres). So if the pain travels a distance of 1cm, it wil reach the brain in between 0.3 and 2 milliseconds. If the killing process lasts any longer than this, it probably generates excruciating pain, albeit briefly.
  - gowld 9y ago
    It's a metaphysical question. How long did it take you to consciously feel pain the last time you accidentally touched a burning stove?

ZeroGravitas 9y ago

Googling suggests that animal welfare organisations currently suggest maceration is the best alternative, being better than carbon dioxide which gets second place. Do you happen to know why they don't promote your suggestion of suffucation with nitrogen?

DonaldFisk 9y ago
I can't speak for animal welfare organizations. Maceration is quicker than CO2 asphyxiation. Animals (including humans) can detect high levels of CO2 but most (rodents are an exception) can't detect low levels of oxygen. I found these articles: https://www.upc-online.org/slaughter/report.html https://www.upc-online.org/slaughter/report.html (scroll down to Gas Stunning). https://www.hsa.org.uk/downloads/technical-notes/TN12-gas-killing-of-chickens-and-turkeys.pdf https://www.hsa.org.uk/downloads/technical-notes/TN12-gas-ki... Both recommend inert gas asphyxiation but in the context of adult birds. Scientists are looking into in ovo sexing: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-016-0116-6 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-016-0116-6
xkcd-sucks 9y ago
Yeah given the extremely robust panic response induced by co2-- to the point where co2 is used as an animal model of panic-- almost any other gas is better.
- wnkrshm 9y ago
  Exactly, that feeling of asphyxiation you get when you hold your breath is not because of low oxygen levels - your body doesn't know about those - but high CO2 concentration.

gambiting 9y ago

I don't know what part of dying instantly would be painful - that's sort of the point of the "instantly" part. If you watch a video of this process on YouTube it's incredibly quick.

DonaldFisk 9y ago
Fast pain receptors send signals to the brain at a speed of between 5 and 30 metres per second (via A-delta fibres). So if the pain travels a distance of 1cm, it wil reach the brain in between 0.3 and 2 milliseconds. If the killing process lasts any longer than this, it probably generates excruciating pain, albeit briefly.
- gowld 9y ago
  It's a metaphysical question. How long did it take you to consciously feel pain the last time you accidentally touched a burning stove?