Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide

Oxygen fuels the body's energy processes, while carbon dioxide is a waste gas given off during the process and must be removed from the body.

Oxygen is brought into the lungs through the airway (through the nose and mouth, then down the throat, larynx (voice box), and wind pipe).

The lungs absorb the oxygen into the bloodstream where it is then carried throughout the body. Carbon dioxide is removed through the lungs and back out through the airway.

During a drowning the lack of oxygen and increased carbon dioxide starts to cause problems within the human body very quickly, as early as three minutes. The person can lose consciousness (black out), experience heart and or brain damage, and potentially die if emergency treatment is not started quickly.

The brain cannot survive for long without oxygen. Brain damage and possibly brain death can occur within six minutes. Brain damage includes memory problems, loss of functions (a vegetative state), and so on.

The heart can also suffer damage such as irregular rhythm, and cardiac arrest, or heart attack.

To learn more about Water Safety & Drowning Hazards visit our Water Safety & Drowning Hazards Online Training web page.