Clinical Hyperbaric Facility, Hull and East Riding Hospital, Anlaby, UK.
Corresponding author: Gerard Laden. Clinical Hyperbaric Facility, Hull and East Riding Hospital, Anlaby, UK, ORCID: 0009-0008-0820-8291,
Diving Hyperb Med. 2024 Jun 30;54(2):137-139. doi: 10.28920/dhm54.2.137-139.
Blood alcohol concentrations above defined levels are detrimental to cognitive performance. Empirical and published evidence suggest that nitrogen narcosis is analogous to alcohol intoxication with both impairing prefrontal cortex function. Nitrogen narcosis is also known to have been a factor in fatal accidents. To examine the effects of nitrogen narcosis, a recent publication used the Iowa Gambling Task tool, to simulate dynamic real-life risky decision-making behaviour. If the reported outcomes are corroborated in larger rigorously designed studies it is likely to provide further evidence that divers may well experience the negative effects of a 'narcotic agent', even at relatively shallow depths. These deleterious effects may occur regardless of diving experience, aptitude or professional status. In 1872, English law made it an offence to be 'drunk' whilst in charge of horses, carriages, cattle and steam engines. Understanding the danger was easy, establishing who is 'drunk' in the eyes of the court required a legal definition. Driving above a 'legal limit' for alcohol was made illegal in the United Kingdom in 1967. The limit was set at 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. It took just short of one hundred years to get from first introducing a restriction to specific activities, whilst under the influence of alcohol, to having a clear and well-defined enforceable law. The question surely is whether our modern society will tolerate another century before legally defining safe parameters for nitrogen narcosis?
血液中的酒精浓度超过规定水平会对认知表现产生不利影响。经验和已发表的证据表明，氮醉类似于醉酒，都会损害前额叶皮层的功能。氮醉也被认为是致命事故的一个因素。为了研究氮醉的影响，最近的一篇出版物使用了爱荷华赌博任务工具，模拟动态的现实生活中的高风险决策行为。如果报告的结果在更大、更严格设计的研究中得到证实，那么很可能会提供进一步的证据，表明潜水员可能会经历到“麻醉剂”的负面影响，即使在相对较浅的深度。这些有害影响可能会发生，而不论潜水经验、能力或专业地位如何。1872 年，英国法律规定，在负责马匹、马车、牛和蒸汽机时醉酒是一种犯罪行为。理解这种危险很容易，但是要确定在法庭眼中谁是“醉酒”，则需要一个法律定义。1967 年，英国将血液中酒精含量超过 80 毫克/100 毫升的驾驶行为定为非法。这一限制是在引入特定活动中酒精限制的近一百年后才实现的，而到现在，我们已经有了明确且明确的可执行法律。那么，现在的问题是，我们的现代社会是否还需要再等一个世纪，才能对氮醉的安全参数进行法律定义呢？
