It was a long and dirty 20 years for the tunnel workers. Every day they got on the elevator and went numerous metres down into the earth to give their best performance. They were excellent workers too. The foreman of Palsha Mining Company was so proud of his employees that he decided he wanted to show his proud gesture to them when the tunnel was finished. When it finally came to an end after 20 years of digging, the foreman went down into the tunnel with champagne to throw them a toast. The foreman threw the toast and everyone sipped to it except for one tunnel worker. When the worker was asked why he didn’t drink to the toast, he replied, “I can’t because I’ve been sober for 10 years. I do accept the nice gesture though.” When the toast was finished, they went on the elevator to return to the surface to go home. However, all the workers were instantly sick when they got off the elevator besides the man who didn’t drink. I mean INSTANTLY! Why did the workers get sick so quickly and the man that couldn’t drink the champagne didn’t?
Answer
The workers got sick due to a syndrome known as “The Bends”. This occurs when someone is under the surface at considerably depths breathing oxygen and coming up to the surface at a quick rate. The workers normally wouldn’t have got sick due to the fact they didn’t have any champagne while working. The champagne in the workers’ system takes a long time to digest as well. When they reached the surface, the undigested champagne in their stomachs bubbled up due to the intense pressure change. The bubbling effect is caused by the carbonation in the liquid and the oxygen toxicity. When the pressure changed, oxygen bubbles formed and went into the workers’ bloodstream causing “The Bends”. This is the same syndrome that divers can get. Think of it like a soda can. When it’s shaken up, the can looks relatively normal. After it’s opened however, it sprays everywhere.
