Airman Education Programs Topics of Interest
Trapped GasBy Roger A. Storey
As an instructor with CAMI's physiological training program, we cover a variety of subjects that deal with the problems of pressure change at altitude, and its effects on the human body. One of these areas is the effects of pressure change on the middle ear, parasinuses, gastrointestinal tract, and the teeth. These areas can withstand enormous changes in barometric pressure as long as the air pressures within these body cavities are equalized with the pressure surrounding them.
The mechanical responses to changes in pressure are in accordance with Boyle's Law, which states that a volume of gas is inversely proportional to the pressure to which it is subjected, temperature remaining constant. When the gases in these cavities can't equalize with the ambient environment, the gas is considered to be "trapped." more....