Terence McCormick

11/23/16 Chem

Asthma Attacks and Gas Laws

This scenario involves a young child who has asthma, and his older sister.
The kid is playing the Wii, when he suddenly starts to cough and wheezing. His
sister came in and quickly called 911. The operator asked her if he has asthma, and
she said yes. He then told her to put him in the bathroom with the shower running
hot. She did that and he started to breathe normally again. When you have an
asthma attack, your airways become inflamed, constrict and produce a lot of mucus
which makes it hard to breath. The reason the shower method worked on him is
because the hot water makes steam, which he breathes in, loosens the mucus,
which is the main reason why people can’t breath during an asthma attack. The
steam also relaxes the muscles in your lungs that constrict your airways.

Another way the steam could have helped is by using the pressure of the
steam to open up his airways. These ways are Charles Law and Boyle's Law.
Charles Law states that a decrease in temperature will lead to a decrease in volume,
and vice versa. Boyle's Law states that an increase in pressure decreases volume,
and a decrease in pressure increases the volume. Knowing this, I can explain how
these 2 laws had a role in saving the kids life.

As the steam filled the room, he started to breath in the steam, which created
pressure in his lungs/throat. According to charles law, the higher the temperature is
of the steam, the more pressure it will have in his lungs/throat, and since your
throat constricts during an asthma attack, the pressure helps ease the airways back
open.
 Boyles law also had an effective role in this situation. As the pressure
increases in his airways from the steam, the volume decreases, meaning that the
pressure expanded his airways creating less volume in his lungs and throat, which
is a good thing.

These two laws have their similarities and differences, at least in Chemistry.
One direct relationship these 2 laws have is that they both involve volume in some
way. One Inverse relationship these 2 laws have is that if one law is in effect, the
other one cannot be in effect on the same substance.