X-Message-Number: 21237
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 09:56:24 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: John Bull / Incompletely Filled Dewars
References: <>

John Bull says he infers from something I wrote that Alcor does not keep
its patients completely covered in liquid nitrogen.

I would prefer Mike Perry or Hugh Hixon to answer this, but personally I
can't imagine what I wrote that would have created such a totally
misleading impression. I believe the approximate height of a bigfoot Dewar
is 10 feet. Even after we subtract the thickness of insulation in the lid,
this still provides ample coverage for a whole body during the slow
boiloff that occurs. Boiloff does allow the level to fluctuate to some
extent, but I do not believe patients are ever exposed to liquid-nitrogen
vapor only. The head-down position provides protection against
exceptional emergencies that have never occurred at Alcor.

--Charles Platt

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