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decompression sickness Hear it!

decompression sickness definition

☆ decompression sickness

a condition caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood or body tissues as the result of a sudden lowering of atmospheric pressure, as in deep-sea divers, astronauts, and pilots ascending too quickly: it is characterized by tightness in the chest, by pains in the joints, and by convulsions and collapse in severe cases

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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