TAGS: farts, farting, facts about farting, fart facts, fascinating farts, embarrassing farts, passing gas, Passing
gas may be embarrassing for most of us, but it might make you feel
better to know that it's one of the most common bodily functions of all
time. Everyone does it, from Halle Berry to the Queen of England. In
fact, the word "fart" is one of the oldest words in the English
language!
Read on to discover more fascinating
facts about about cutting the cheese.
What Is A Fart, Exactly?
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.
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!
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.
Farts Have Been Clocked At A Speed Of 10 Feet Per Second.
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.
Holding Farts In Could Be Bad For Your Health
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.
For Some Cultures, Farting Is No Big Deal
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!
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.
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.
Termites Produce The Most Farts Of Any Other Animal
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."
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?
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.
Fartfact #11:
ReplyDeleteThe most foul farts are going around at places were people have nothing to say but open their mouths constantly, to have their farts escape them... instead of letting them out the natural way.... POLITICIANS!