SCUBA DIV

ING

BY :

RE

I D F

RA

NK

S

SUMMARY

Diving was created to help hunt for food, repair ships and observe

marine life. Divers used to hold their breath while underwater, but

today we have compressed air tanks to breath. We must be cautious

of the hidden threat of decompression sickness.

SUMMARY

In the 18th century, Paul Bert from France and John Scott Haldane

from Scotland, studied the effects of water pressure on the body. They also helped design compressed air tanks for underwater diving.

As the diver goes deeper and deeper, in the water and the pressure increases,

nitrogen and other gases begin to diffuse into the body. Henry’s Law states the

solubility of gas in a liquid is directly proportional to the pressure of the gas

above the liquid.

CHEMISTRY

Depression Sickness

CHEMISTRY

When the diver begins to ascend to the surface and the pressure startsto decrease, the nitrogen and other gases in the body need to diffuse backout into the bloodstream and if they are forced to come out too quickly, bubbles will form in parts of the body and cause pain known as the bends.

CHEMISTRY

If the diver ascends slowly to the surface, the bubbles can safely be dissolved and leave the body. However, if the diver ascends too quickly and has decompression sickness, he or she must go to the hospital and be put in a hyperbaric chamber.

IMPLICTIONS

Divers must always be cautious and understand all the dangers of SCUBA diving.

WORKS CITED

The Physical Chemistry of SCUBA Diving with Compressed Air. New York: W.H.

Freeman and Company., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.chem.uwec.edu/Chem405_S01/peterson/scuba.htm>.

Inkling. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <https://www.inkling.com/read/ textbook-of-medical-physiology-guyton-hall-12th/chapter-44/effect-of-high-partial>.

Chemistry Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.chemistrydaily.com/ chemistry/Decompression_sickness>.

Marinebio. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. <http://marinebio.org/oceans/scuba/index.asp>.

Marine Medical Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

<http://www.marinemedical.com/articles/diving.htm>.