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If you're holding your breath, which a naive swimmer likely is, then it's perfectly possible to rupture parts of your throat when the pressure differential grow
by Filligree 13y ago
If you're holding your breath, which a naive swimmer likely is, then it's perfectly possible to rupture parts of your throat when the pressure differential grows too large. I'm not sure if that'd be fatal or not, but it'd definitely be dangerous.
The pressure differential, in this case, was three times that between normal pressure and vacuum.
- Symmetry 13y agoThe pressure differential for vacuum isn't enough to be dangerous by itself. The dangerous thing about vacuum exposure is that at that pressure your blood will boil at body temperature.
- damoncali 13y agoThat's what they teach in diving class, but I've always wondered if the pressure wouldn't cause an impulse to exhale at some point?
- dedward 13y agoNope - the impulse to exhale comes from carbon-dioxide levels, not pressure in the lungs. You'll go from feeling fine to acute pain to very dangerous damage pretty much momentarily.