Posted by tleemay on January 05, 2001 at 10:43:51:
In Reply to: Re: Martinis and tissue damage posted by Eins on January 04, 2001 at 18:38:23:
In regard to the effects of N2 on the tissues
compared to He, take a class on gas diving. There
is where you will learn the most. There are some
good text references on the subject too, but I don't
have my reading lexicon available right now.
He on gasses and out gasses much faster than N2
due partly to the size of the molecules entering
and exiting you tissues. This entering/exit
process it usually refered to as the cycle. With
N2 being about 3.5 heavier than He, it is more
intrusive to the body as it enteres and exits
the tissues. So while you may ongass He faster,
it is not causing as much damage as the larger N2.
Plus, since He doesn't cause narcosis at the same
depth as N2, you are much more clear headed and
able to remember what you saw, react faster in a
bad situation, and feel much better after the dive
compared to diving straight air.