FireBreathing:
Hey I just wanted to post an e-mail that has started a serious discussion on a Fire Guild chat board I am on. I know many of my friends have tried firebreathing and basically I am posting it here to remind us all(me especially) that firebreathing isn't really a joke. Both from the perspective of burning yourself but almost more importantly from the danger of putting different fuels in your mouth.
If anyone is really interested in getting more information let me know and I will see if i can send you the whole thread or something.
Play safe kids.
Neil

Fire Breathing Poisoning
Posted by: "stilldcalcoda"
Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:29 pm (PST)
Greetings fellow flamers (umm ... err ...)

I thought I'd share my experience of last weekend (Feb 21) with being slightly poisoned from doing far too much fire breathing in a 26 hr period. I've written a lot (sorry) but I think it is worth your consideration.

Napalm Dragon has reassured us that the fuel he has recommended is quite benign. He has shared his story about swallowing a mouth full and feeling like a king the next day as he sat on his throne spewing fecal matter out of his orifice like any good head of state. We areleft to wonder about the very long term effects but see that his
years doing this have not done him much harm if any.
Last weekend was not the first time I have felt poisoned after having that fuel in my mouth (Escort Lamp Oil). Often I notice very small effects shortly after fire breathing. I may be better equipped to notice this than most with a body fat index in the single digits and with my experience poisoning myself in other (umm ..recreational) ways I notice small changes.

But enough preamble - here's the goods :

I pushed the limits. Participating in Illuminate ******* Saturday night I had a rehearsal Friday then jams/performance Saturday. I did fire breathing (in 5 min periods) 4 times (2x each night). Additionally I have also begun holding fuel in my mouth for 3-4 min as I spin poi to end with some fire breathing over a buzzsaw and did this 4 times Saturday night. This last trick is a crowd pleaser but fuel
exposure is now a bigger concern for me. Holding fuel in my mouth for that long was likely the biggest contributor but please know I did not swallow any â€" perhaps a bit of the residue left over but never any noticeable amount. (And if you plan to follow my lead make sure you practice with water first : holding liquid in your mouth while spinning is not that easy.)

Poisoning effects : I was quite functional and was not concerned for my immediate health. My head felt heavy, my body ached slightly, and I just felt run down. It was almost like a cold without the sinus stuff.
This was noticeable Saturday night, all day Sunday, and into Monday when I felt normal by the evening.

The secondary effect was worse : On Sunday I wondered if I was simply getting sick but the symptoms were different and by Monday, as it cleared, I knew that it was definitely poisoning. Then I knew it better as I proceeded to actually get a real cold late on Tuesday.
This gave me a direct comparison between poisoning and illness and was worse than the poisoning. I am assuming my immune system was compromised and the 2-3 day lag in getting a cold is consistent with the incubation period.

I am not that concerned with any immediate poisoning of the fuel we are using. The poisoning I got could be avoided by limiting exposure (something Bhak has already recommended) so I encourage you to use more sense than I did. I thought the risk of poisoning was lower but I as wrong. I even rinsed/lined my mouth with grape seed
oil before each poi-spin-fire-breathing but this was not enough. Charcoal
pills may be of help.

But now that I am very aware we poison ourselves slightly each time we breath fire I am more concerned about the long term effects.Increased risk of cancers, liver damage, and who knows what. Our Napalm D is still young and has not been doing his fire that long.(13+ years is not that long ... when does he plan to quit? When do
I? They'll have to pull that bottle and torch out of my hand at the retirement home I end up in!).

So I plan to reduce my risk and I will now be seeking :
Medical Grade Liquid Paraffin

Anyone know where I can get it? I'll update you on my quest when I can.

Preventative measures that have been suggested to me :
Rinsing/lining my mouth with vegetable oil
Charcoal pills

Any other suggestions for preventing absorption or detoxing after?