continued from Tek forum:
I'd be very interested indeed to see the article Wreckie mentioned re argon causing skin cancer, but in case any of our hard-core tekkie guys are panicking, I
can say that at the moment I can't find any published evidence in the scientific databases which suggests it could be a problem.
I've found one reference which indicates that argon
ions cause cancer:
"The low carcinogenicity of electron radiation relative to argon ions in rat skin. Burns FJ, Jin Y, Koenig KL, Hosselet S. Radiation Research 1993 Aug 135:178-88"
but I don't yet know how they produced these argon ions, I'll have to check that out in our library as it isn't available on-line.
Argon is a noble gas and therefore stubbornly unreactive under natural conditions, although bombarding argon with high-energy particles can form argon ions (ie atoms that have lost or gained an electron causing their charge to become either positive or negative repectively), but in that case the high-energy particles are more likely to do you more harm first!.
The following hazardous substance fact sheet (updated 2001) indicates that argon has not been tested for carcinogenicity and recommends only that it be treated with caution as a possible asphyxiant
<a href="http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/0151.pdf
Argon" target="_blank">
http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/0151.pdf
Argon</a> is certainly used in a theraeutic way to treat cancers e.g. in Photodynamic therapy or cryosurgery and argon-ion lasers.
Anyone interested in other known long-term effects of sport diving may like to read the article here: <a href="http://www.scuba-doc.com/LTE.htm
Regards" target="_blank">
http://www.scuba-doc.com/LTE.htm
Regards</a>
Steve