Ask an Aquanaut: Red Blood Cells?
Amber Diekmann asked: Hi This is for Mr. Houwen, How are the red cells affected by being under water?
Amber,
Typically, red blood cells remain largely unaffected by the pressure of diving. Recent research has been quoted though that speaks of Red Cell Rigidity, which describes red blood cells getting ‘harder’ which may cause the slowing of rbc’s passing through the capillaries, and that the increased pressure of Nitrogen can be responsible. The accuracy of this research is highly debated right now, and probably only an issue with very deep diving, far beyond the research depths here.
Steve Houwen
Alameda High School
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