Is it possible to suffocate in a cornfield?

Question

My Mother swears up and down it is possible to suffocate in cornfields - reason being there is no circulation. This seems impossible at best and just downright laughable in reality. Has anyone else ever heard this old wives tale or if there is any credence to these stories?

Answer 1

You can suffocate anywhere.  However, being in a corn field wouldn't be the cause of the suffocation.  Every plant needs air circulation to maintain photosynthesis and continue to grow.  Take your mom out into the middle of a corn field and show her she's wrong.

Answer 2

I suppose you could suffocate just about anywhere, having a garbage bag or bucket of water nearby. In the middle of a cornfield, however...

Plants give off oxygen, from aerobic reactions that convert carbon dioxide.This creates a small bubble of higher oxygen content than the surrounding atmosphere around a big enough field, like a corn field.

In short, you could suffocate in a corn field, but you would have to try REALLY hard.Oxygen poisoning is more likely.

Answer 3

In the middle of the cornfield oxygen levels would be extremely high from all the photosynthesis. No way to suffacate from simply being there.

Answer 4

Techniclly, you can suffocate anywhere, but its not like its just corn-fields. Some can be claustrophobic, or allergic to the corn stalks, causing your throat to close a little. Im not really sure why people say this, but I dont think its true.