• Question: Why is it that smoke chokes people?

    Asked by to James, Jennifer, Kim, Liam, Ricardo on 24 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: James Taylor

      James Taylor answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      We need oxygen in the air that we breathe so that we can function, smoke is low in O2 (compared with air) so we can’t extrat enough O2 to keep our bodies working. Plus smoke can contain a lot of fine particles that coat our lungs and further hamper our ability to absorb O2.

    • Photo: Jennifer Stephens

      Jennifer Stephens answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Hi irishkipz
      Smoke contains carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, soot and a whole cocktail of chemicals. Breathing it in can irritate the lining of the lungs and airways making further breathing difficult. It doesn’t take long for this to happen, a few breaths is enough.

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