Should You Inhale Helium- Understanding the Effects of Helium on the Human Body

Haven’t we all done that party trick where you inhale some gas from a balloon, and voila, you have a new, funny voice? And this new voice is all shrill and high-pitched and is always entertaining. Yeah! I can sense that naughty smile on your face, huh!

The gas that we inhale to modulate our voice is known as Helium. The jokes and laughs aside, but is this gas safe to inhale? What are its effects on the human brain? I’m sure you might not have thought of it at that time. Anyway, I’ll tell you that

What Does Helium Do to Your Voice?

First, let me explain to you why our voice changes when we inhale helium. The basic mechanism is that it gets attached to the vocal cords, causing them to vibrate, but at a frequency higher than normal, hence the shrillness. The dangerous part here is that when you inhale helium, your body gets filled with helium and depleted of oxygen, creating a problem.

Oxygen, as we know, is required by the body for nearly every important function, and its absence – even for a short duration – can create big problems. When the body is getting only helium, it is being put under unnecessary pressure, a risk of breathlessness, nausea, and, in extreme cases, death.

What Happens When You Inhale Helium?

The most obvious and visible reaction to helium is that your voice gets altered. Usually, the effects of inhaling helium from a balloon are temporary, meaning they will go away in 10-15 minutes, and you will start breathing normally again.

However, this is not the only result. You may also feel dizzy, nauseous, and lightheaded. In some cases, you might pass out as well. So, I would not really recommend this seemingly fun activity because it can lead to asphyxiation and other health issues.

According to the studies conducted in 2020 by the National Library of Science, there have been around 2000 injuries in the United States alone due to helium inhalation. Moreover, a majority of the patients are kids aged between 6-12 years.

What About Helium from Other Sources?

Thus far, we have been talking about inhalation from a balloon, which has fewer harmful ramifications. But if you inhale it from any other source, it could actually be much more dangerous.

For instance, if you inhale helium from a tank, it will have a very high pressure, making the force with which it is released very strong. Therefore, the quantity inhaled would be very high in a very short period of time.

And if you breathe into pure helium for even a small duration, it might lead to serious asphyxiation leading to death within a couple of minutes. It is capable of forming a bubble and getting into your blood vessels, thus blocking the blood flow. If it is bad enough, it may even rupture your lungs or cause a serious hemorrhage.

You Can Even Get High on Helium

Helium is not an addictive drug, but people can actually get high on it. This is because the vapors of helium get absorbed quickly in the lungs. So, the high or feeling of excitement that comes from alcohol consumption can also happen with the use of helium. It may even become addictive due to the fact that you have to consume it again and again after a short duration because the high lasts for only a few minutes.

Arman Minas, Director at Armstone, advocated for comprehensive education on this issue in an interview with the Icy Whiz team. Here is what he had to say:

“I have personally witnessed the catastrophic effects of helium inhalation. Despite its widespread popularity as a party trick, many individuals, especially children and adolescents, are oblivious to the grave health risks associated with this practice. 

Comprehensive educational initiatives that emphasize the hazards of helium inhalation and promote safer forms of entertainment are required to address this issue.

Through the incorporation of this knowledge into academic curricula, community engagement initiatives, and social media campaigns, we can enable people to make well-informed decisions and avert avoidable damage.”

I’ll Tell You Some Other Side Effects of Inhaling Helium

Although we now know that it is not toxic, it can become very dangerous if you inhale it for long durations and at high pressure. Due to inhalation, there is a change in air density which makes the process of breathing difficult causing damage to your lungs.

Most of the time the symptoms go away in a few minutes but if you experience low blood pressure, chest pain, blurred vision, seizures, trouble breathing, or irregular heart rate, you should contact your doctor.

Some people think that due to the voice alteration effect that is achieved by inhaling helium your voice gets permanently changed so maybe it does not come back to the same pitch.

However, in most cases that is not what happens. Anyhow, you should keep the risks in mind any time you are planning to inhale helium even if for fun. Always make sure that anyone with a heart condition must strictly avoid inhaling helium.

Now assuming that you have just inhaled helium and you are worrying if you’re in danger. The answer might be that it’s unlikely since helium is mostly harmless in a small amount with an instantaneous return of oxygen. However, this does not mean that you take it directly from a tank just to prove a point 🙂

It is highly likely that you might feel dizzy and a slight loss of consciousness but that can be managed if you sit down and breathe out all the unnecessary gases from your system.

We interviewed Tim Parker, Director of Syntax Integration, on this issue. Here is what he said:

“Having personally observed the perilous consequences of helium inhalation, I am convinced that greater awareness is required to avert subsequent calamities.

Numerous individuals, particularly young people, are ignorant of the potential dangers associated with this ostensibly innocuous activity. 

Public education is of the utmost importance; this can be accomplished through targeted campaigns, educational programs, and social media initiatives that emphasize the fatal effects of helium inhalation.

We can promote safer alternatives for entertainment and prevent avoidable incidents, thereby safeguarding our communities.”

Does Helium Kill Brain Cells?

The only way that helium can intensively affect your brain is due to the role reversal it plays with oxygen. As helium replaces oxygen in the body it can lead to brain damage due to the absence of oxygen in the blood.

Oxygen is literally the fuel of the body and is necessary for proper functioning. Due to a lack of oxygen, the brain stops functioning which can even lead to organ failure in extreme cases.

In an interview with the Icy Whiz team, Andrea Cuevas, Marketing Coordinator at Achievable, talked about the misconceptions about helium inhalation. Here is what she said:

“The party trick of inhaling helium to change your voice is a classic way of having fun at parties with helium balloons. I have performed this trick, and while it is funny, it is often incorrectly seen as “harmless,” while the risks associated with inhaling helium are very dangerous.

I don’t believe there is enough awareness of the dangers of helium inhalation, as most people (including me) were surprised to find out that there was any risk at all. 

I discovered how dangerous inhaling helium was through my parents, who explained the dangerous effects helium has on the body.

I believe parental guidance is an effective step in educating people, especially children, about the risks of helium inhalation, as parents can teach and monitor activities.”

So, I Suggest You Not to Inhale Helium

It is all fun and games at a party, but we can now safely say that it is not really the best idea to inhale helium. It can lead to suffocation among other issues and should not be tried especially in front of children so that they are not encouraged to try such activities either.

Guest Author: Saket Kumar

Last Updated on May 18, 2024 by Pragya