If I put pure helium in a balloon and inhale it till I pass out, does this mean my tank contains enough Helium to kill me?

[Popopo]

Like the title says, if I fill up a balloon with helium, exhale fully, inhale the helium and pass out, does this mean the Helium tank I bought is sufficient to do me in?

 

[Thanatonaut]

Like the title says, if I fill up a balloon with helium, exhale fully, inhale the helium and pass out, does this mean the Helium tank I bought is sufficient to do me in?

Not exactly. One breath of helium alone probably wouldn't make you pass out anyway. Then there's the fact that the helium that has been diluted with air still might have less oxygen in it than the 21% you're used to, so you still might get lightheaded or pass out. And if you go watch kids on YouTube passing out breathing from balloons, you'll notice they nearly always are trying to recite the Gettysburg Address or something long, requiring multiple drags off that balloon.

 

[sighingspider]

Pure oxygen is lethal, breathing it in would kill you since of oxygen poisoning. However, you can't keep breathing in air although you can say that oxygen is in the air. Only concentrated elements could killl you. The helium sold commercially is not pure, or concentrated. So it won't kill you.