With a loud clap and a happy pop, the cork pops out of the bottle and then quickly pierces the ceiling. A dent remains in the plaster, a permanent reminder of a great celebration. But a flying champagne cork like this can be dazzling, warns the world’s largest association of ophthalmologists, the American Academy of Opthamology, in 2023. How big is the champagne cork danger really?
A champagne cork whizzes past a car
The bubbles in the champagne bottle build up to six bars of pressure behind the cork, three times the pressure of a car tire. With this boost it will easily fly through the air at eighty kilometers per hour, especially if you shake it again before uncorking the bottle. At that speed, a well-aimed champagne cork can travel a record distance of over fifty-four meters. And yeah, obviously it’s not nice if you get it in your eyes.
In the hospital thanks to the victory potion
Cyclist Biniam Girmay can talk about it. He had to withdraw from the Giro d’Italia in 2022 after the cap from the victory bubble hit his eye. He was admitted to hospital due to bleeding in his eyes. A bad idea, but the chance of this happening to you is extremely small. An older study from 2004 from the University of Alabama (USA) listed nearly thirteen thousand eye injuries from three countries. There were only ninety capping incidents. By the way, it’s still a better chance than winning the lottery. This had serious consequences for the unfortunate few who literally looked a little too deep into the champagne bottle. A quarter of them were left blind from the injured eye.
Uncorking the champagne: that’s how it goes
Fortunately, you can prevent these types of injuries by properly opening a bottle of champagne. The loud bang with splashes of foam looks great on the podium of a racing circuit, but officially you open the champagne with a controlled pop, or a breath. To facilitate controlled opening it is better to choose a refrigerated and large bottle, because the pressure is lower. With one hand firmly on the cork, gently wiggle the cork with your other hand. This way you won’t shoot anyone. And although it looks less spectacular than when the foam swirls around the room, there’s even more champagne to enjoy this way.
What about the other alcoholic refreshments at your party? For example, can you still drink expired beer? And should you choose beer first or wine first to avoid the sting?
2023-12-28 18:22:24
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