Man Dies while filling Paintball Marker with Air

[tb-303]

Interesting but how does that happen in paintball? how do you get Co2 and Compressed air in your bloodstream while filling and playing?

Condolenses to the family involved,
i'm interested to know what failed so this won't happen again.

tb-303

 

[QuackingPlums]

I think it's because at high pressures, air bubbles can actually be forced into your bloodstream through the skin - and certainly through any breaks in the skin such as cuts and grazes. These bubbles can then cause aneurysms...


If a bottle started leaking at close proximity to your exposed skin I suppose it could happen...

 

[tb-303]

Hmmm, not really likely is it. theres clutching at straws and theres clutching at straws!

anyway what pub do you go to? kitten in a pint glass. lol

tb-303

 

[How]

what happens is if a gas gets into your blood stream a bubble it goes to your heart causing it to explode (cant remember why). This is why before an injection th person giving it always squeezes a little bit out to remove any air bubbles. If air from an injction can kill you (around 3psi i guess, not much anyway) then i dont think compressed air is any more likely to kill you than CO2.

Also if a 7oz CO2 tank were to explode it could easily take out a 2 story house, let alone the 2 20oz CO2 tanks in my room (Help!). I dont know if air is as dangerous if it explodes but it is far less likely to.

 

[tb-303]

Originally posted by How
what happens is if a gas gets into your blood stream a bubble it goes to your heart causing it to explode (cant remember why). This is why before an injection th person giving it always squeezes a little bit out to remove any air bubbles. If air from an injction can kill you (around 3psi i guess, not much anyway) then i dont think compressed air is any more likely to kill you than CO2.

still got bugger all to do with paintball. unless we all start injecting Co2 and Compressed Air.
Not really something needed to be covered in briefings before a days play is it?

and i really don't think a 7oz Co2 will do that much damage. the kill radius of a 12ltr dive tank blowing is apparently 8 meters! so i doubt a lil' Co2 bottle will do that.

tb-303

 

[How]

still got bugger all to do with paintball. unless we all start injecting Co2 and Compressed Air.

Yeh but my point is if injecting a single air bubble into your body from a syringe can kill you i doubt that there is much differece between 4500psi air and 1000psi (dont know but its around 1000) CO2 getting into your blood stream.

and i really don't think a 7oz Co2 will do that much damage. the kill radius of a 12ltr dive tank blowing is apparently 8 meters! so i doubt a lil' Co2 bottle will do that.

Well this could be wrong but youll have to take it up with the UKPSF because that is where i got the information from..... . (or just ask anyone who has done the UKPSF marshalling course, such as Liz)

How

 

[tb-303]

BUT HOW WOULD IT GET THERE!!
You seem to forget the fact we DON'T inject air or Co2 so therefore its still got bugger all to do with the price of milk!

Yes i know Air in the blood is dangerous and can be lethal and i have no doubt that Co2 don't do you any favours either if in the blood stream, but it IS irrellevant to paintball due to the fact it can't really get there. if and when a tank blows it will do damage, but i don't think any side effect will be air or Co2 in the blood stream!
With a syringe it(if you havent noticed) it has a needle which punchures the skin and taps in to a vein. now my Air bottle may be different to yours but it don't have a needle on it, and it would be fair to say for me to get 1.9l of air at 3000psi into my blood stream would be very difficult, and not something that you would accidentally be able to do.

i'm not dissin' the UKPSF, they know their stuff. but coz someone has done the marshalling course it don't mean they listened and understood what was said(that wasn't aimed at you Liz BTW)
if i'm prooved wrong i'll eat my rocky wig.

tb-303

 

[Ally^McK]

Yeah and what has Co2 and air getting into your blood stream got to do with EXPLODING tanks?! I personnally think it was just a well used tank and was nearing its end but the fool that asked to get it filled asked an un-qualified paintball tank filler to do it... so it resulted in death.

I'm guessing that basically the tank exploded cause the tank pieces to fly out and kill the guy.. i mean 3000+psi - bits of tank are gona be moving really fast and it aint to forgiving even if u get hit with an empty tank (as i found out when i dropped it on my toe) So it was just the tank owners poor judgement or the companies fault for releasing a faulty tank, the guy shouldnt have filled it up anyway.

But my sympathy and condolencies goto the family and friends.

(P.S. Air and Co2 are just as lethal as each other)

 

[How]

I guess the air or Co2 would diffuse into the body, i aint no genius.

i'm not dissin' the UKPSF, they know their stuff. but coz someone has done the marshalling course it don't mean they listened and understood what was said(that wasn't aimed at you Liz BTW)

I did, and i know mostif not all the other guys (and guppys) did just from their reaction.

 

[pupster01]

Originally posted by How
I did, and i know mostif not all the other guys (and guppys) did just from their reaction.

did what exactly take offence or listen

lets be practical here both gasses are dangerious if mishandled that we all know, but its the explosive force of a damaged or mistreated bottle that we need to keep in mind.

please feel free to lead us to a few cases of acidental death but ingested paintball propulsion gas but to my knoledge there have been NONE.

As for a 3oz blowing a house up i have been on sites where a 20oz bottle have vented ( yes they usually go at the birsty) and the site was intact. not even a small crater

please think like a newbee here, reading this thread could really frighten them when whats being discussed is totally in the realm of theory and far fetched at that. Please feel free to site cases with evidence to back up the point raised.

the point that we need to look into is the details of this incident and how to prevent it happening again

may i surgest a few posible causes

maybe a 4500 birsty fitted to a 3000 system then over filled due to confusion over 3000 psi and 300 bar (3000 psi being about 232bar not 300 bar a mistake i have hurd people make and i think we all hurd them vent at campain)

incorrectly fitted valve

poorly serviced reg

drop damage (remember the guys over the pond are known for throing marker)

lets stop scaring people and try to make things safer

remember this is a very unfortunate but rare incident and let keep it that way


thanks

and sorry for the spelling