The latest proof of the flammability of farts comes from a strange surgery in Japan that went terribly awry, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
A woman in her 30s had surgery in the Shinjuku Ward at Tokyo Medical University Hospital earlier this year. During the operation, a laser was applied to her cervix.
When the woman passed gas, the laser caused the fart to ignite. The woman suffered severe burns on both of her legs and waist. The resulting flame even set part of the operating room on fire.
The surgery was carried out April 15. Since there were concerns that the botched surgery was the result of human error, an outside team was brought in to investigate. The hospital released an official report on the operation Oct. 28.
The report revealed that there weren’t any flammable materials in the operating room, and there was nothing wrong with the equipment. The only explanation for the accident was a flammable fart.
“When the patient’s intestinal gas leaked into the space of the operation room, it ignited with the irradiation of the laser, and the burning spread, eventually reaching the surgical drape and causing the fire,” the report noted.
The current status of the female patient is unknown; however, it is believed that she survived her unusual operation.
The chemical combination of methane and hydrogen in passed gas makes exploding farts, or pyroflatulence, possible. The flammable nature of farts has been tested, sometimes with a lighter and under the influence of alcohol, many times. A barn in Germany exploded in 2014 after a static charge ignited the gas produced by the cows living inside.
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