Denise Stucker, age 12, of Whitesboro, N.Y. for her question:

CAN YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR FIVE MINUTES?

First of all, holding of the breath can be extremely dangerous and it isn't the type of activity that should be practiced for fun. For most of us, the only need we have for holding our breaths is when we dive into the water for a swim. It's no problem to hold your breath for the few seconds it takes to come back to the surface. Who needs more?

An expert, however, can hold his breath for more than five minutes. In fact, the record for holding the breath is 13 minutes, 42.5 seconds, set by 32 year old Robert Foster in Richmond, Calif. He set the record on March 15, 1959, in 10 feet of water under controlled conditions with 30 minutes of hyperventilation with oxygen before the descent.

Longest breath hold without oxygen was 6 minutes, 29.8 seconds, by Georges Poulliquin in Paris.