What Is A Fart, Exactly?
2. The average fart is roughly 100 milliliters in volume and lasts approximately two seconds. More interesting than the statistic itself is how it was calculated. Basically, it involved subjects farting into specially designed, airtight, gas-collecting underwear.
3. There's a way to make your farts (mostly) odorless. Marketed as the only "internal deodorant," the over-the-counter drug Devrom, with its active ingredient bismuth subgallate, reduces almost 100% of the odor caused by sulfur gasses, the primary contributors to smelly farts. Bismuth is an interesting metal -- it's extremely dense yet surprisingly nontoxic. The only known side effects of taking bismuth subgallate is a harmless darkening of stools or the tongue, which the user's friends and family undoubtedly describe as "well worth it."
4. Women's farts smell worse. In studies conducted by eminent flatulence researcher Michael Levitt, women's farts consistently sported significantly greater concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. Odor judges have confirmed that -- at similar volumes -- this translates to a noticeably worse odor compared to men's farts.
5. Red meat kicks up a stink. Sulfur compounds contribute the most to flatus malodor, but compounds called thiols also royally reek. Methanethiol is one of the worst. Naturally found in blood, and, in turn, red meat, it can be released via the digestive process and eventually off-gassed via the anus.
6. Holding in your farts won't kill you, but it won't be comfortable either. As Tara from D-News explained, "When we hold farts in, the gas retreats back into our body and gets absorbed into the intestinal walls where it eventually mixes in with our blood. At best, that can cause bloating, abdominal pain, and constipation but if you do it repeatedly it can lead to a distended bowel."
More Interesting Facts
Farts are caused by trapped air,
which can come from many sources. Some of it is air that we have swallowed
while chewing or drinking. Some air is caused by gas seeping into our
intestines from our blood, and some gas is produced by chemical reactions in
our intestines or bacteria living in our guts.
A typical fart is composed of about 59 percent nitrogen, 21 percent hydrogen, 9
percent carbon dioxide, 7 percent methane and 4 percent oxygen. Only about one
percent of a fart contains hydrogen sulfide gas and mercaptans, which contain
sulfur, and the sulfur is what makes farts stink.
Farts make a sound when they escape due to the vibrations of the rectum. The
loudness may vary depending on how much pressure is behind the gas, as well as
the tightness of the sphincter muscles. (Source | Photo)
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Why Do Farts Smell Bad?
The more sulfur-rich your diet
is, the more terrible your farts will smell. Some foods contain more sulfur
than others, which is why eating things like beans, cabbage, cheese, soda, and
eggs can cause gas that will peel the paint off the walls! (Photo)
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People Pass Gas About 14 Times Per Day
The average person produces about
half a liter of farts every single day, and even though many women won't admit
it, women do fart just as often as men. In fact, a study has proven that when
men and women eat the exact same food, woman tend to have even more
concentrated gas than men.
If a person were to fart continuously for 6 years and 9 months, they would
produce gas with the equivalent energy of an atomic bomb. (Source | Photo)
Though farts come out with
varying velocities, we don't typically smell them for about 10-15 seconds after
letting them rip. This is because it takes that long for the odor to reach your
nostrils. (Source | Photo)
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Farts Have Been Clocked At A Speed Of 10 Feet Per
Second.
Doctors disagree on whether or
not holding in a fart is bad for your health. Some experts think that farts are
a natural part of your digestive system, so holding them in won't harm you.
Others think that at best, holding them in can cause gas, bloating, and other
uncomfortable symptoms, and at worst, repressing gas can cause hemorrhoids or a
distended bowel. (Source | Photo)
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Holding Farts In Could Be Bad For Your Health
While most cultures feel that
farts should be suppressed in polite company, there are some cultures that not
only don't mind letting them fly in public, but they actually enjoy it. An
Indian tribe in South America called the Yanomami fart as a greeting, and in
China you can actually get a job as a professional fart-smeller!
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For Some Cultures, Farting Is No Big Deal
In ancient Rome, Emperor Claudius, fearing that holding farts in was bad for
the health, passed a law stating that it was acceptable to break wind at
banquets.
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Farts Are Flammable
As stated above, the methane and
hydrogen in bacteria-produced farts make your gas highly flammable. This is why
some people think it's a fun party trick to hold a lighter up to their bums and
let one fly; doing so produces a big burst of flame, but is obviously very
dangerous.
In rare cases, a build-up of flammable gasses in the intestines have caused
explosions during intestinal surgeries! (Source 1 |
It's hard to believe that the
tiny termite is responsible for a great deal of our global warming problem on
the planet. Termites fart more than any other animal, which produces methane
gas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Global emissions
of methane due to termites are estimated to be between 2 and 22 Tg per year,
making them the second largest natural source of methane emissions. Methane is
produced in termites as part of their normal digestive process, and the amount
generated varies among different species." (PhotoVia)
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Termites Produce The Most Farts Of Any Other Animal
Even if you clenched your butt
and held them in all day, the gas will escape once you relax. What's more
relaxing than sleep? (Source | Photo)
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If You Hold Them In, They'll Just Come Out When You
Sleep
Even
if you clenched your butt and held them in all day, the gas will escape once
you relax. What's more relaxing than sleep?
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People Even Fart After Death
Here's
proof that you can't escape passing wind, even after you're dead! Up to three
hours after the body dies, gasses continue to escape from both ends of the
digestive tract, resulting in burping or farting noises. This phenomenon is due
to muscles contracting and expanding before rigor mortis sets in. (Source | Photo)
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