Scuba Diving - Decompression Sickness (dcs)
Posted on March 8, 2008 - Filed Under Recreation and Sports | Leave a Comment
Getting decompression sickness while scuba diving is not an enjoyable experience. Decompression sickness was encountered when Brooklyn Bridge was being built. DCS affected the workers on the Brooklyn Bridge site who had to spend many hours near the bridge supports in compressed-air filled chambers (caissons) underwater. Upon surfacing, they suffered from abdominal cramps, joint pain, and in some cases death.
Let’s try and understand what causes decompression sickness while scuba diving. As the diver descends, he breathes in the nitrogen in the air through the tank. This nitrogen dissolves in the blood. While the diver is ascending, the lowered pressure causes the nitrogen to come out of the blood, forming small bubbles. To prevent these bubbles from becoming bigger, they need to be either re-absorbed into the blood stream or exhaled out through the lungs.
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