In Bengaluru, a 12 year old girl got a hole in her stomach. The girl had consumed paan laced with liquid nitrogen at a party. As soon as he ate paan, he started having severe pain in his stomach. After this the family members took him to the hospital. There it was found that due to liquid nitrogen there was a hole in a part of his stomach. After this surgery had to be done immediately. A few years ago, a similar case had come to light in Gurugram. A person had drunk a drink containing liquid nitrogen. He also had a hole in his stomach and had to undergo surgery.
So what is liquid nitrogen? Why is it used in food and drinks? How dangerous is it for health? Let’s understand in this Explainer…
What is liquid nitrogen?
Before understanding Liquid Nitrogen, let us understand Nitrogen. Nitrogen is present in abundance in our atmosphere. About one eighth part of the Earth is made up of Nitrogen Gas. It is a colorless and tasteless gas. Its symbol in chemistry is N2. Now let’s come to Liquid Nitrogen.
When the temperature of Nitrogen goes below -195.8 degrees Celsius, it gets converted into liquid form. Since there is no place on our earth where the temperature is so low, nitrogen is always available in solid form. It is converted into liquid artificially.
Where is it used?
Liquid nitrogen is used extensively in many fields ranging from medical science to automobile and engineering. Like as a coolant for computers or in medicines related to skin, removal of pre-cancer cells etc. In recent years, the use of liquid nitrogen has increased rapidly in many restaurants. Liquid nitrogen freezes food items instantly. As soon as it comes in contact with air, it starts emitting smoke and gives a kind of aromatic feel.
Who started eating?
According to a report in BBC Magazine, Chef Heston Blumenthal was the first to include items containing liquid nitrogen in the menu of his restaurant ‘The Fat Duck’. Like- Nitro Scrambled Egg and Ice Cream. Then many restaurants started using it.
Is liquid nitrogen dangerous?
Professor Peter Barham of the School of Physics at Bristol University tells the BBC that nitrogen is a gas that does not cause harm. But when it is converted into liquid, its temperature becomes very low. It definitely gets colder than usual. Therefore, if it is not handled properly then problems like frostbite may occur. Can freeze the body and can be fatal. Another thing to note is that liquid nitrogen expands many times more after becoming steam. For example, 1 liter of liquid nitrogen can turn into 700 liters of gas after evaporating. It starts boiling even at room temperature. That is why it is stored in insulated vacuum containers.
Professor Barham says that liquid nitrogen is used in many food items from ice cream to drinks, but in very limited quantities. Before eating or drinking any item containing liquid nitrogen, it is important to keep in mind that until its smoke completely goes out or evaporates as steam, it should not be consumed under any circumstances.
Then how did the hole in the stomach happen?
According to a report by the Royal Society of Chemistry, liquid nitrogen gets converted into gas after entering the stomach and starts boiling. In such a situation, if you have consumed more nitrogen than required then there may be a hole in the stomach or the stomach may even burst.
Tags: Lifestyle, Paan Farming
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 21, 2024, 09:55 IST