Can't. Hear. Lungs. Collapsing.

[livius drusus]

And I thought my neighborhood would just suffer an epidemic of deafness once the current bass boosters hit their forties. They might have something more immediate to worry about: Loud music lung collapse warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3614180.stm)

A pneumothorax occurs when air gets into the space between the lung and the membrane that covers it when small breaks occur in the lung wall.

It is thought the intense pulses of low-frequency, high-energy sound causes the lung to rupture because air and tissue respond differently to sound.

[Beth]

crap. That is why my chest always starts hurting at concerts. I thought it was just because I was moshing. But yeah, soon as I get too close to the stage, it become difficult to breath, even in open air concerts.

[Goliath]

What?

[livius drusus]

crap. That is why my chest always starts hurting at concerts. I thought it was just because I was moshing. But yeah, soon as I get too close to the stage, it become difficult to breath, even in open air concerts.

Does this happen even if you're in a relatively uncrowded space? I know I've felt like my lungs were compressed plenty of times when surrounded by shoving people, but I can only recall once when I felt short of breath in an open space. I was leaning against a huge speaker at a Squeeze concert (of all things), but I can't say I was sober at the time, so I figured any complaints from my lungs should be directed to the marijuana is bad m'kay department.

[Goliath]

Does this happen even if you're in a relatively uncrowded space? I know I've felt like my lungs were compressed plenty of times when surrounded by shoving people, but I can only recall once when I felt short of breath in an open space. I was leaning against a huge speaker at a Squeeze concert (of all things), but I can't say I was sober at the time, so I figured any complaints from my lungs should be directed to the marijuana is bad m'kay department.

Ehh? What?

:P

[livius drusus]

Hesh up, you. :shhh:

[Goliath]

Hesh up, you. :shhh:

Piss on shoes?! You're sick!

:D

(lol...okay, I really will stop now).

As far as the OP goes: I've felt slight chest pains/tremors at concerts..now I guess I know why.

[Dingfod]

Sound is measured in Pascals (pressure) as well as dB. I suppose a pressure wave powerful enough could do some measureable damage to the lungs too. The lungs certainly are susceptible to damage from low pressure and/or rapid pressure change. The latter would be what a sound wave would represent, I suppose. I've often wondered what life was going to be like for these punks that ride around in their cars with the boom-thumping stereos. They're going to be deaf and worse. I say we should all invest in the hearing aid industry because there's going to be a boom (pun intended) in the next couple of decades.

I know this much, they cause my windows to vibrate... my car windows. If one of them came close enough to my house to vibrate my house windows, I would feel compelled to show that I've got a much louder sound to demonstrate to them. Although this loud sound that I can produce is of very short duration it is repeatable a number of times in rapid succession... at least until the clip is empty.

[reprise]

I know that I've certainly felt extremely physically uncomfortable at live music venues where the sound levels are extremely loud (as though the bass, rather than my body, is determining my heart rhythms).

My son belongs to that physical type which is prone to spontaneous pneumothorax, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that sound waves can precipitate a collapse. You can't get a diving certificate here if you have ever suffered a pneumothorax, due to the risk of dive pressures precipitating another. To my unscientific mind, it doesn't seem totally outside the realms of possibility that under certain conditions sound could do the same.

[The Lone Ranger]

The lungs sit within fluid-filled cavities called the pleural cavities. The pressure inside the pleural cavities is a bit less than normal air pressure. Because of this, the air inside the lungs presses outward with more force than the fluid outside the lungs pushes back. That's what keeps your lungs inflated.

If the linings of the lungs are torn, and enough air gets into the pleural cavities, the pressure is equalized, and the lungs collapse. Very bad news indeed for the person to whom it happens.


Cheers,

Michael

[reprise]

Very bad news indeed for the person to whom it happens.

I remember being told by the respiratory specialist who attended my son that in otherwise healthy individuals, non-traumatic pneumothorax rarely causes any significant health problems, and that the degree of pain and other distress to the patient is totally disproportionate to the seriousness of the event itself (something which seems to be confirmed by the anecdotal stories I've heard from those who've suffered a pneumothorax).

[The Lone Ranger]

Indeed. The inability to breathe triggers a very primal reaction. Even the stoutest of individuals will panic upon discovering that (s)he can't breathe properly.

The lung linings are pretty thin, and tear easily. A minor pneumothorax now and again is not uncommon, and generally doesn't cause anything longer-lasting than a considerable amount of anxiety. The tear gets repaired and the "excess" air is absorbed, and you're fine afterwards.

Cheers,

Michael

[freemonkey]

a Squeeze concert

Almost completely off-topic warning:

I would have loved to have seen them live.

[livius drusus]

Almost completely off-topic reply:

They kicked ass. And it's not just the weed talking.

[Scotty]

Hmm, I wonder what it does to brain tissue...


-Scott

[beyelzu]

Hmm, I wonder what it does to brain tissue...


-Scott
I dont think weed is very good for brain tissue.


:rimshot:

[JoeP]

Hmm, I wonder what it does to brain tissue...


-Scott
I dont think weed is very good for brain tissue.


:rimshot:
This smilie really needs sound.

[beyelzu]

Hmm, I wonder what it does to brain tissue...


-Scott
I dont think weed is very good for brain tissue.


:rimshot:
This smilie really needs sound.
\

I dont know, I hear the sound in my head whenever I see that particular smilie.