How dangerous is inhaling nitrogen gas?
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Inhaling purely nitrogen gas at room temperature will take a few minutes to kill but inhaling a large dose of pressurized nitrogen from a can can kill within a few seconds. In the latter case, the throat fills with high velocity nitrogen expanding very quickly. The throat wall becomes very cold then blood in the nearby carotoid artery also chills on its’ way to the brain. The brain is especially sensitive to temperature change and the shock can be catastrophic.
Inhaling pure nitrogen can lead to death in 40 seconds. It is worse than holding the breath. Air contains 78% nitrogen. The body does not react to 100% nitrogen atmosphere. It only reacts to oxygen and carbon dioxide during breathing. When carbon dioxide concentration goes up in the body, breathing speeds up. Nitogen has no such effect. When breathing pure nitrogen, oxygen in the body dissipates very quickly, because it escapes the body through the lungs. Nitogen should be treated like a poisonous gas. Install oxygen sensor if nitrogen is supplied into an enclosed area. This is actually an example in a refinery control room with a small leak in a nitrogen line. Two technicians died because there was no warning. They only felt drowsiness. Fatality can occur when oxygen content falls below 13%.