The Gas Laws and Scuba Diving

Dissolved nitrogen can also be harmful if a diver ascends too quickly. As Henry s law predicts, nitrogen becomes less soluble in the blood as the pressure decreases. This decrease in solubility causes nitrogen to leave the diver s tissues and blood. Normally, the excess nitrogen is discharged through the lungs. 

In order to dive safely, scuba divers must be aware of some of the basic gas laws. 

However, if the diver comes up too rapidly, the nitrogen will form bubbles in the tissues and veins. This condition is known as decompression sickness, or the bends. If the bubbles block blood flow, a wide range of effects, including severe joint pain, may occur. For this reason, divers are very careful to ascend slowly after diving. 

Why is the concentration of helium increased in some gas mixtures that divers breathe in order to reduce the partial pressure of oxygen  

Although carbon monoxide, CO, is normally present in trace quantities in air, compressed air scuba tanks that are filled improperly can contain elevated levels of CO. Why is this particularly dangerous for divers  

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