WEBVTT - How do fog machines work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works dot com

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<v Speaker 1>where smart Happens. I am Marshall Brain with today's question,

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<v Speaker 1>how do fog machines work? There are three common ways

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<v Speaker 1>to produce the fog that you often see in stage

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<v Speaker 1>productions and at dance clubs. You can use the fog

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<v Speaker 1>machine that vaporizes fog juice, or you can use dry ice,

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<v Speaker 1>or you can invite lots of cigarette smokers. Fog machines

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<v Speaker 1>and fog juice are the most common. The basic mechanism

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<v Speaker 1>is simple. The fog juice is heated to create smoke.

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<v Speaker 1>When you overheat oil on the stove and create a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of smoke, you're doing the same thing cooking oil

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<v Speaker 1>has a tendency to get gummy and smell bad. However,

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<v Speaker 1>fog machines use glycerin or glycol mixed with water as

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<v Speaker 1>their juice. According to the Seattle Times, the fog is

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<v Speaker 1>created using propylene glycol and triethyline glycol mixed with water.

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<v Speaker 1>One thing that's not clear is whether this fog has

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<v Speaker 1>any side effects on people's lungs. It seems like it's

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<v Speaker 1>a problem for asthmatics, but nothing has been proven conclusively

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<v Speaker 1>for the general population. If you would rather be safe

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<v Speaker 1>than sorry, you can use dry ice. When you place

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<v Speaker 1>dry ice and hot water, it creates a dense fog

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<v Speaker 1>that clings to the floor. This fog contains carbon dioxide

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<v Speaker 1>and water vapor. Do you have any ideas or suggestions

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<v Speaker 1>for this podcast? If so, please send me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at podcast at how stuff works dot com. For more

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