Helium is an odorless, colorless gas you often find in balloons. Children may unintentionally inhale the gas that may affect their voices. Some people inhale the gas intentionally though to change their voices and sound like a high-pitched cartoon character. But the thing is, are there any side effects of inhaling helium? Keep reading to find your answer.
Is Helium Bad for You?
Not really, helium is generally safe; however, you may find yourself in trouble if you inhale it repeatedly. It means there are situations when helium inhalation can be deadly, especially if you try to inhale it from a pressurized canister. Why, you may ask? It happens because helium displaces oxygen from your lungs and leads to issues such as dizziness, suffocation, and falls.
Suffocation may happen if you go inside a giant helium balloon, but you may still experience side effects by taking a few breaths from a balloon. Though extremely rare, it is possible to experience sudden sniffing death syndrome when helium damage lung tissue – this usually happens in children. Sniffing death syndrome is a kind of cardiac arrest and is lethal.
