The Explosive Truth: Is The World Record For Longest Fart Really 2 Minutes And 42 Seconds?

The quest for the world's longest fart is a surprisingly complex and highly contested field of human endeavor, fraught with internet legends, conflicting claims, and the notorious difficulty of official verification. As of December 17, 2025, the most sensational figure—a staggering 2 minutes and 42 seconds—remains a widely circulated but unverified piece of trivia, while the official record-keeping bodies focus on related, more easily documented flatulence feats.

The true story of the longest documented continuous emission from the human body involves a professional "fart-ist," a legendary figure, and the fascinating science of intestinal gas. We dive deep into the records, the attempts, and the anatomy that makes such a prolonged expulsion of flatus possible.

The King of Flatus: Paul 'Mr. Methane' Oldfield Biography

While the record for the *longest duration* of a single fart is ambiguous, the title for the *longest career* as a professional flatulist is officially held by a verifiable individual. This individual, whose life is dedicated to the art of controlled flatulence, is the closest thing the world has to a reigning champion in this unusual field.

• The Chilling True Story 5 Key Facts About Richard Evonitz The Serial Killer Who Kidnapped Kara Robinson Chamberlain Xpjje

• Real Name: Paul Oldfield
• Stage Name: Mr. Methane
• Nationality: British
• Born: March 30, 1966
• Birthplace: Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
• Career Start: December 1990 (First professional appearance)
• Official Guinness World Record: Longest career as a flatulist (male)
• Notable Feats: Performing flatulence on command, "tooting" songs, and attempting the longest continuous fart.

Paul Oldfield, known globally as Mr. Methane, is the undisputed master of his craft. He has transformed a natural bodily function into a unique and long-running performance art, earning him a place in the record books for his dedication.

The Great Flatulence Hoax: Investigating the 2 Minute 42 Second Legend

Search for the "world record for longest fart," and one figure consistently dominates the results: 2 minutes and 42 seconds, attributed to a man named Bernard Clemmens of London.

This claim has achieved legendary status across the internet, frequently cited on platforms like Quora and various trivia sites as the official Guinness World Record.

• Shania Twains Bold Statement Why The Star Chose Nude Photoshoots At 57 Qf9cg

The Discrepancy in the Digital Age

Despite the widespread citation, a direct search of the official Guinness World Records database does not currently list a "Longest Fart Duration" record with Bernard Clemmens as the holder.

The 2:42 figure is likely an old, unverified claim that was once published in an earlier, less strictly vetted edition of the book, or it is a persistent piece of internet folklore that has been amplified over decades. The difficulty in verifying a continuous, single expulsion of gas—as opposed to a series of short bursts—makes this category incredibly challenging to officiate.

The lack of a verifiable, recent source for the Clemmens record suggests that, while it is the most famous number, it should be treated as a contested or unofficial record. The internet's curiosity, however, ensures the legend of the nearly three-minute fart lives on.

• The Enduring Legacy Of Haylor 5 Shocking Facts About Harry Styles And Taylor Swifts Relationship 10 Years Later Sf662

The Verifiable Flatulence Records: Mr. Methane's Official Attempts

While the 2:42 record is debated, the professional flatulist Mr. Methane provides the most concrete data on the limits of controlled, continuous flatulence.

The Longest Career Record

Paul Oldfield holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest career as a flatulist (male), a title he has held since his first professional appearance in December 1990.

This record is a testament to his unique anatomical ability to inhale air through his rectum and then expel it on command, a rare physiological feat that allows him to control the duration and pitch of his flatus. This technique is what enables his spectacular, long-duration attempts.

The Longest Duration Attempt

Mr. Methane has made several attempts to secure the duration record. His longest documented effort reached an impressive 59 seconds.

Some secondary sources and online discussions have suggested a shorter, 40-second non-stop fart was officially recognized at one point, but the 59-second attempt is the one most frequently cited by the flatulist himself and in the context of his official Guinness profile.

Regardless of the exact duration, a controlled, continuous expulsion of gas lasting nearly a full minute is a remarkable physiological achievement that far surpasses the capabilities of the average person.

The Science of a Super-Long Fart: How is it Possible?

A typical fart, or flatus, is a quick release of gas—a mix of swallowed air and gases produced by bacteria in the gut—that lasts only a few seconds. The ability to sustain this release for minutes, as claimed by Clemmens or attempted by Mr. Methane, requires an extraordinary combination of digestive, dietary, and anatomical factors.

Anatomy and Control

For a sustained, controlled expulsion, the person must be able to regulate the pressure of the gas being released through the anal sphincter. In the case of Mr. Methane, his ability to inhale air rectally—a phenomenon known as "anal breathing" or "rectal insufflation"—allows him to create an almost endless supply of gas on demand, essentially making the duration limited only by his lung capacity and endurance.

The Role of Diet and Gas Composition

The volume and duration of a natural fart are heavily influenced by diet. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates and certain sugars, such as beans, broccoli, and dairy (for the lactose intolerant), produce large amounts of gas like hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane during bacterial fermentation in the colon.

A diet specifically engineered to maximize gas production, coupled with a rare ability to control the sphincter muscles, would be the only way to naturally challenge the legendary 2:42 mark without resorting to rectal insufflation.

Flatulence Facts and Other Records

The world of flatulence records extends beyond mere duration. Other entities and records that highlight the extreme nature of this bodily function include:

• Loudest Fart: While no official Guinness record currently exists, the loudest documented human fart is often cited in the range of 100-113 decibels, comparable to a jackhammer or a chain saw.
• Volume of Gas: An average person produces between 500 and 1,500 milliliters of gas per day, released in about 10 to 20 separate bursts.
• Speed: A fart can be expelled at a speed of up to 10 feet per second (over 6.8 mph).

Ultimately, the "world record for longest fart" is a fascinating blend of human curiosity, verifiable physiological talent (Mr. Methane), and enduring internet myth (Bernard Clemmens). Until an official, strictly-verified, and continuous fart surpasses the 59-second mark under the scrutiny of official record keepers, the title remains one of the most hotly debated, yet unofficial, records in the world.