Now that you are using oxygen in your home, there may be some changes to your lifestyle.
We want to assure you that oxygen is safe to use, but only in the right conditions.
To avoid accidents, it is important to understand the potential dangers of oxygen in your home.
Oxygen is often times not taken seriously, as many believe that oxygen is just air. Oxygen
itself is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It makes up
about 21% of the air we breathe. While oxygen itself does not burn, it helps things burn
faster and hotter.
The air we breathe
contains about 21% oxygen. The oxygen in an oxygen cylinder such as the
E cylinder we have here has purity level of 99% oxygen or greater. Any concentration of
oxygen greater than 23½ % causes materials in your home to ignite much more easily. Oxygen
lowers the temperature at which everyday household objects will start to burn. This can include
your bedding, clothing, carpets, draperies and even your hair. By the way, it does not
matter if the oxygen is from an oxygen cylinder, oxygen concentrator or liquid oxygen reservoir.
Oxygen from any of these sources is above 23½% percent and will make most materials
ignite at very low temperatures, burn quickly, and twice as hot of a normal fire. We would
like to provide you with a few demonstrations on the dangers of oxygen. Please do not attempt
these demonstrations as they can be very dangerous and cause severe injury. This is how a cigarette
burns in the air we are currently breathing. Now let's see what happens to the cigarette
and how it burns when we introduce medical-grade oxygen. Notice that the cigarette is burning
much more quickly, it is burning much hotter and faster than it was on room air that we
breathe. You may have noticed the white hot flame that indicates a flame temperature measured
in the thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. Next we would like to show you how an article of
clothing will burn in a normal environment. Notice the article of clothing does not catch
on fire very quickly. Now let's saturate a piece of clothing with some oxygen and see
what happens. Please note the piece of clothing will be above the 23 and a half percent purity
levels. We are actually using a metal pan to simulate the skin of the patient during
this presentation. Please notice how much more rapidly the patient's skin as well as
clothing would catch on fire with oxygen used while smoking with oxygen in place. We've
made a pipe-cleaner man that we will presume to be the patient. This patient like many
other patients continues to smoke with oxygen in use, as he is convinced that smoking with
oxygen cannot be dangerous. In fact, our patient continues to smoke in bed. When he decides
he wants to have a cigarette, he takes his cannula off and lays it next to him in the
bed. Our patient thinks that oxygen is just air and cannot hurt him. In this case our
patient is wrong, terribly wrong. Let’s place our patient in this glass jar so we
can simulate saturating the patient's clothing with oxygen. The covering on the pipe cleaner
will be his clothing. Let’s see what happens when an ember is introduced from one of his
cigarettes. The fire was very impressive. However, the fire you just saw was far hotter
than a normal fire. Oxygen enriched fires burn between 1,500 - 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit
or even more depending on the materials involved. Sadly, this does happen in real life. Our
patients have been injured and some even killed by fires caused by the misuse of oxygen. I
want so badly to prevent that from happening and it's why I'm here right now talking to
you. Here's a real-life story from a patient who was smoking while using oxygen. He agreed
to talk to us on camera to try to keep this from happening to somebody else. Gary: I guess
I wasn't thinking right. I was smoking with the oxygen on. And I fell asleep. And I woke
up to a big blaze in my face. Ended up burning myself, different parts of my body. My nose
real good. My lip a little bit. I was in a lot of pain. My wife and my daughter put out
the fire. Put me out. Called the ambulance. I ended up rolling around on the floor in
pain. I knew that you don't wear oxygen when you smoke and I thought I was a smart enough
individual that I would never do it and get burned up. I just thought I was smart enough
and I knew that wouldn't happen to me. But it did. Well, before, used to just take this
off and I wouldn't even turn that off because I didn't think I needed to. And I would just,
as long as this was away from me, I thought that was good enough. And I would just take
this and throw it on the floor, make sure it was a good distance from me, and I'd smoke.
Now of course I know that's not even good enough. When I want to smoke now, first thing
I do is ask somebody to turn the machine off. And once they've turned it off, I sit this
down on the floor and then I get a cigarette and I light it. Then once I'm done it and
I put it out and it's totally out in the ash tray, then I get this and I ask somebody to
turn it back on. Brian: Now let’s go over some important points to remember, so you
can safely use oxygen in your home. When using or storing oxygen, keep oxygen at least 10
feet away from open flames and other sources of heat. Oxygen cylinders and
tubing require the same consideration. Remember, electric appliances like toasters, space heaters,
hair dryers, electric blankets and electric razors have the potential to overheat and
may spark when in use. Never smoke or allow smoking around any oxygen source and it’s
tubing. Don’t use flammable materials near oxygen, hair and aerosol sprays, paints and
thinners can all pose risks. Even certain petroleum products like Vaseline and Vapor
Rub can pose a danger. A spark can quickly ignite these types of products
increasing the risk of fire and severe burns. Keep oxygen tanks and tubing in well ventilated
areas because oxygen tends to build up in the surrounding air and concentrate
in clothes, bedding and curtains. Never store oxygen cylinders in a closed area to include
closets or under a bed. Here's how to safely use the valve on an oxygen cylinder. All oxygen
cylinder valves must be opened slowly and completely, like this. If you open it too
quickly, heat is generated and it's called the heat of recompression. There's enough
heat to ignite anything that's inside the valve or regulator including dust. What essentially
happens is you are creating an oxygen-enriched fire inside the oxygen regulator and the valve.
So remember to always open the valve slowly and completely. Additionally, never use any
type of lubricant or oil on the oxygen cylinder or regulator. One hazard of oxygen is the
vast amount of energy that is stored in a full or partially
full oxygen cylinder. All oxygen cylinders should be considered sleeping giants. If a
large cylinder such as an “H” cylinder or “M” cylinder as seenhere were to accidently
fall over, the valve could break off, and the cylinder will accelerate up to over 40
MPH in just ½ of a second. These large cylinders have enough energy in them to go through two
cinder block walls. All oxygen cylinders should always be secured. This can be in either a
rack or a stand to prevent them from falling over. This is exactly why we tell our patients
to never store oxygen cylinders in the trunk of their cars. Should you be involved in a
rear end collision with oxygen cylinders in the trunk the valve could be sheared off causing
the cylinder to hurt you and even those outside of your car. Because oxygen tanks have so
much energy and pressure inside, it's important to take great caution when traveling with
them in a car. Secure your oxygen cylinders in the back passenger
area of your vehicle. Don’t let a cylinder roll or bang around. And never keep an oxygen
cylinder in the trunk. Your vehicle should be well ventilated. Leave the window slightly
cracked open to prevent oxygen and hot temperatures from building
up inside. Here’s an oxygen safety summary and a few more tips. Always follow these precautionary
measures for the safety of your family and yourself. Never smoke while using oxygen.
Warn visitors not to smoke near you when you are using oxygen. Not following these measure
could result in severe injuries, total destruction of your home and even death. Smoking while
using oxygen not only endangers your life but those who live in the home with you and
people around you. No Smoking Oxygen signs should be placed on your homes main entrance.
Firefighters, emergency personnel and visitors need to know that oxygen is being used in
your home. For oxygen concentrators only use a properly grounded wall outlet. Do not place
the electrical cord or oxygen tubing under rugs, carpets, blankets, cushions or furniture.
Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby and make sure you know how to use it. Have
working smoke detectors on hand and check them monthly. Oxygen is a great benefit for
patients who need oxygen therapy. However, it should always be handled with caution.
Thank you.