Question
Why shouldn't carbon dioxide extinguishers be used in confined spaces? Select the correct option and click 'SUBMIT. They might explode They need air to stop fire They can fill a confined space with CO_(2)gas, making it difficult for the person using the extinguisher to breath They can cause claustrophobia They might not show up if it's dark
Answer
4.5
(231 Votes)
Octavia
Master · Tutor for 5 years
Answer
They can fill a confined space with
gas, making it difficult for the person using the extinguisher to breath
Explanation
Fire extinguishers that release carbon dioxide work by eliminating oxygen, which is essential for combustion or fire. The carbon dioxide ousts the oxygen in the room, effectively preventing the fire from continuing its combustion process. While these extinguishers are effective at extinguishing fires, they evoke critical problems in confined spaces. They can fill a confined space with carbon dioxide gas, a gas that humans can't breathe in high concentrations. Even though CO2 is a component of the air we breathe (in very low concentrations), extreme exposures — as might occur in a confined space filled with CO2 from a fire extinguisher — can lead to unconsciousness and even death due to hypoxia (a lack of sufficient oxygen for cellular metabolism). The other answer nodes in the given alternatives — "They might explode," "They need air to stop fire," "They might cause claustrophobia," or "They might not show up if it's dark" — represent misconception about the function and use of CO2 fire extinguishers, therefore, they lack scientific rationality.