Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Don't Let Your Kids Drink Liquid Nitrogen

Yes, be a good man and top off my Gin and Tonic with a bit of Aqua Regia, would you?

Apparently scientific illiteracy has some real-world consequences.

Like having your stomach removed after you drink a nice alcoholic beverage topped off with...liquid nitrogen.

"A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

Lancashire Police say Gaby Scanlon was out with friends in Lancaster last Thursday (4 October) when it happened.

The 18-year-old is reported to have become breathless and developed severe stomach pain before being taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

Officers say she would have died if doctors had not performed the operation.

The woman, from Heysham in Lancashire, was taken from Oscar's wine bar to hospital at 11pm.

She was diagnosed with a perforated, or pierced stomach, and is now in a serious but stable condition."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/19866191

I found the scariest part not that a teenager drank whatever cocktail a bartender put in front of her, but that the BBC quoted "Doctor John Ashton, director of public health for Cumbria" as saying that "liquid nitrogen is a toxic chemical".

That's just plain wrong, and even worse coming from somebody with a doctorate.

I'll bet that this article will make some people frightened of nitrogen.

I can hold my breath for a really long, long time!