It’s strange to think that an airbag, designed to save your life in the event of an accident, has the ability to take your life. This was the unfortunate fate of UK resident Ronald Smith, who died as a result of inhaling the poisonous contents of an airbag.
Smith was involved in a minor accident when his airbag was supposedly punctured by a piece of glass releasing the airbag’s contents which Smith inhaled, killing him three weeks down the line. Smith experienced ongoing breathing problems and died of Bronchial Pneumonia. Apparently Smith is the first person to die as a result of an airbag.
Highly poisonous Sodium Azide (NaN3) is used in airbags and upon impact a trigger mechanism detonates Sodium Azide to release Nitrogen gas which inflates the airbag in seconds. When your airbag inflates, you can only hope it doesn’t rupture. Thousands upon thousands of cars are fitted with airbags and it’s difficult to think that a safety feature designed to keep you safe could actually take your life.
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