Helium is a noble gas that has a number of specific properties. However, why is this happening, and what other properties does this gas have? Is it safe to inhale, and can there be side effects? How studied is this substance, where is it used?
Helium is used in a variety of ways, it is easiest to find it from sellers of balloons who actively use it. This is a well-studied substance, which can be talked about quite a lot.
Helium features
Helium is an inert gas and has all the features characteristic of this group. It has no typical smell or taste, it is colorless, a cloud of helium will not differ in appearance from the surrounding air. The element has a feature fixed only in it - at a temperature of -268.9 degrees Celsius it liquefies, however, it will not be possible to turn it into a solid state under ordinary earth conditions. For this, it is necessary not only to lower temperatures to 1 K, but also to increase atmospheric pressure to 25 atmospheres. But this does not apply to the ability of a gas to change a person’s voice.
Another feature of this substance will be more interesting in the framework of this issue. Helium is an exceptionally light gas, only hydrogen is lighter than it. It is very common in nature, accounting for approximately 23 percent of all substances in the universe known to man.A substance is born in stars during nuclear fusion. This gas is 7 times less dense than the air of the earth’s atmosphere, being the second easiest among all existing ones. Only hydrogen is ahead of him.
Interesting fact: it is low density that makes helium interesting for balloon sellers. Filling them with balloons, people provide them with the opportunity to rush up into the sky. Thanks to gas, it is possible to raise into the sky not only balls, but also entire airships. Less dense matter tends to the top, such are the laws of physics.
How does gas manage to change the voice?
To understand the issue of voice changes under the influence of helium, it is necessary to take into account the fact of its low density and consider another nuance - how a person manages to make sounds, speech. Sound of any type, including a person’s voice, is an oscillation. As for human speech, these sounds are produced when the vocal cords that are in the larynx are moving. The voice timbre is formed by the oscillation frequency, the higher this indicator, the higher the voice.
In a normal air environment, a person’s voice remains familiar, sounds are produced and transmitted in a standard way. But if environmental indicators change, then the voice can change - in a significant or non-essential way. Some people say that voices may sound slightly different even in heavy fog, with a change in humidity. And this is not a subjective opinion. When inert gas is inhaled, the vocal cords are compressed, their frequency of oscillation increases significantly.With an increase in the oscillation frequency, the voice also changes, it becomes higher, funny.
There is a substance that gives the opposite effect. If you inhale sulfur fluoride, the voice will sound low, a female voice will be perceived as a male bass. This is one of the heavy gases, its density is 5 times higher than that of air.
Is helium safe?
In general, the inhalation of helium can be considered relatively safe fun, if you breathe not only them, but also ordinary air, not indulge in entertainment with special zeal. Indeed, otherwise you can get oxygen starvation. The first signs of this are nausea, dizziness, headache, breathing problems. In addition, you should not do this regularly, because there is a risk of damage to the vocal cords. They must be protected, damage in this area can be irreversible, spoiling the voice, or making it impossible to talk. The human vocal apparatus is highly sensitive.
You can not breathe helium deeply or breathe it for a long time, otherwise gas bubbles may form in the blood, causing a risk of stroke. Oversaturation of the lungs with helium instead of oxygen is also dangerous.
Such entertainment is risky for pregnant women and for young children, they definitely should not inhale helium. Adults and healthy people should be advised to take only shallow breaths, a couple of times at a time, because this will be enough for the effect of a high voice. When the voice becomes normal again, you can try to repeat the event another two to three times.
Thus, the voice changes due to the fact that helium has a significantly lower density than air. A person’s vocal cords work in such conditions differently, the voice becomes much higher. Inhaling helium to create a cartoon-like voice effect is a rather amusing pastime, but measure must be followed to maintain good health.
