A Japanese woman in her mid-thirties is being treated for severe burns after farting during gynaecological surgery.
In what has been labelled a freak sequence of events, the woman passed wind while having cervical laser surgery in Tokyo Medical University Hospital.
The noxious gas, in turn, ignited the surgical laser and set fire to the drape, spreading over the patient’s body and resulting in significant burns to a large portion of her body – particularly to her legs and waist.
The unfortunate incident took place last April and has only recently come to light after an inquiry-based report surfaced last week, stating that there were no other flammable substances found in the operating theatre. The woman’s present condition is not known.
Here’s the science bit…
The statistical likelihood of such a tragic incident occurring is minuscule. Intestinal gas is made from a combination of digested food and swallowed air. Nitrogen from this air passes through the digestive system unabsorbed and makes up a large portion of what you parp.
Despite what many believe, nitrogen is not the flammable component. In fact, it is the other fermented gasses such as methane and hydrogen sulfide (smell clue: rotten eggs) that are the fire risk.
However, scientists who have studied this topic have stated that less than 30% of humans have enough of these volatile substances in their windy-bops to set the world alight.
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