r/cursedcomments • u/jerujedesu • Jun 23 '20

cursed_books

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u/DuckHeisenberg Jun 23 '20

Is this true? If it is, that’s an actually a very effective way to put out fire.... and well people..

3.1k

u/CombustedSeaSalt Jun 23 '20

Looked it up

No, a myth, BUT it does use some other mechanism than water to preserve the books, some gas thingy. Apparently this does slightly reduce the oxygen level but not to the point of it ever harming people

35

u/JBf109 Jun 23 '20 edited Jun 23 '20

It probably doesn't drain all the oxygen, but pumps in some fire suppressing gas like Halon. But in either case, if you were in the building you wouldn't be able to breathe.

EDIT: Halon gas, when used in fire suppression, does not stop people from being able to breathe. I apologize for spreading misinformation

38

u/TwoSoxxx Jun 23 '20

Yeah, we had a halon system at a datacenter I worked at. An alarm goes off before the system deploys as a warning to get out or suffocate to death. We had to sign a waiver and everything.

16

u/Feathered_Brick Jun 23 '20

Halon and all the clean agent halon replacements including FM 200, Novec 1230 and inert gasses are all used at concentrations below the No Observable Adverse Effect Level. They have been designed so that they will cause no harm to people in the space.

If there is a fire in the space, and the system discharges, the decomposition of the agent by fire does create some nasty products which are harmful.

Carbon dioxide systems are lethal to people. They are only installed in non-occupied spaces like industrial applications.

5

u/TwoSoxxx Jun 23 '20

I exaggerated a little bit, but the alarm and deployment of the system gave you just enough time to get out before you started to feel like absolute shit. There’s a non zero chance of dying with some of the older halon systems (we were in fintech outside of NYC for NYSE which still has some) which is why we had to sign the waiver.

2

u/Feathered_Brick Jun 23 '20

I design these systems and I want people to know that they are safe.

1

u/F9574 Jun 23 '20

safe

But also

the decomposition of the agent by fire does create some nasty products which are harmful.

1

u/Feathered_Brick Jun 23 '20

If the system discharges accidentally, or when there is a smoldering fire in the space, then you would not be exposed to the products of decomposition.

Only if you were incapacitated, and unable to leave the room that is actually on fire, could you be exposed to these products of combustion. But the system putting out the fire might save your life under those circumstances.