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From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Smoking in public?
Message-ID: <10675@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 14-May-85 21:32:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.10675
Posted: Tue May 14 21:32:14 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 16-May-85 20:25:17 EDT
References: <473@nmtvax.UUCP> <6700003@pbear.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 13

> 
> Actually, Halon does not displace the oxygen. What Halon does is to reduce
> the ambient oxygen count to a point below that which fire can continue to burn.
> This point is much higher than that needed for a human being to continue
> breathing without bloackouts or dizziness.
>
Not quite true.  While the oxygen content dimisishes to around that required
for free burning, it doesn't stop slow burning, smoldering, or burning of
some compounds that liberate oxygen when they burn.  Halon blocks the
chemical reaction in the burning process in ways the scientific community
doesn't agree on yet.

-Ron