Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies
On average, one hundred people die each year under avalanche snow. Despite extensive global research on gas exchange in buried avalanche victims, it remains unclear how the diffusion of respiratory gases affects survival under avalanche snow. This study aims to determine how oxygen and carbon dioxid...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12569 |
| _version_ | 1797400490920640512 |
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| author | Simon Walzel Martin Rozanek Karel Roubik |
| author_facet | Simon Walzel Martin Rozanek Karel Roubik |
| author_sort | Simon Walzel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On average, one hundred people die each year under avalanche snow. Despite extensive global research on gas exchange in buried avalanche victims, it remains unclear how the diffusion of respiratory gases affects survival under avalanche snow. This study aims to determine how oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse through snow, as well as through wet and dry perlite, which may serve as a surrogate for avalanche snow. A custom-made apparatus to study the diffusion of respiratory gases consisted of a plastic cylinder (1200 mm long, ID 300 mm) with 13 gas sampling needles evenly spaced along the axis of the cylinder filled with the tested material. Following 60 min of free diffusion, gas samples were analyzed using a vital signs monitor with a module for respiratory gas analysis (E-CAiOVX, Datex-Ohmeda, GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA). A combination of 16% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, and 79% nitrogen was used. The rates of diffusion for both respiratory gases were comparable in snow and both forms of perlite. Oxygen propagated faster than carbon dioxide. Due to similar diffusion characteristics to snow, perlite possesses the potential to stand in as an effective substitute for soft snow for the study of respiratory dynamics, for conducting breathing experiments, and for testing avalanche safety equipment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:56:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f0680b438a0c4cce8762dd2262bca5b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:56:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f0680b438a0c4cce8762dd2262bca5b52023-12-08T15:11:00ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-11-0113231256910.3390/app132312569Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing StudiesSimon Walzel0Martin Rozanek1Karel Roubik2Department of Biomedical Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 272 01 Kladno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Biomedical Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 272 01 Kladno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Biomedical Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 272 01 Kladno, Czech RepublicOn average, one hundred people die each year under avalanche snow. Despite extensive global research on gas exchange in buried avalanche victims, it remains unclear how the diffusion of respiratory gases affects survival under avalanche snow. This study aims to determine how oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse through snow, as well as through wet and dry perlite, which may serve as a surrogate for avalanche snow. A custom-made apparatus to study the diffusion of respiratory gases consisted of a plastic cylinder (1200 mm long, ID 300 mm) with 13 gas sampling needles evenly spaced along the axis of the cylinder filled with the tested material. Following 60 min of free diffusion, gas samples were analyzed using a vital signs monitor with a module for respiratory gas analysis (E-CAiOVX, Datex-Ohmeda, GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA). A combination of 16% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, and 79% nitrogen was used. The rates of diffusion for both respiratory gases were comparable in snow and both forms of perlite. Oxygen propagated faster than carbon dioxide. Due to similar diffusion characteristics to snow, perlite possesses the potential to stand in as an effective substitute for soft snow for the study of respiratory dynamics, for conducting breathing experiments, and for testing avalanche safety equipment.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12569diffusiondiffusion coefficientoxygencarbon dioxidesnowavalanche |
| spellingShingle | Simon Walzel Martin Rozanek Karel Roubik Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies Applied Sciences diffusion diffusion coefficient oxygen carbon dioxide snow avalanche |
| title | Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies |
| title_full | Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies |
| title_fullStr | Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies |
| title_short | Perlite Has Similar Diffusion Properties for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide to Snow: Implications for Avalanche Safety Equipment Testing and Breathing Studies |
| title_sort | perlite has similar diffusion properties for oxygen and carbon dioxide to snow implications for avalanche safety equipment testing and breathing studies |
| topic | diffusion diffusion coefficient oxygen carbon dioxide snow avalanche |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12569 |
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