Smoking While Using Oxygen Tank

Smoking while on oxygen increases the risk of fire.

Smoking while using oxygen tank. Flames cigarettes and medical oxygen. Sparks created from striking a match or lighter are enough to ignite a fire while oxygen is in use. Once ignited fires burn hotter and more rapidly in oxygen rich surroundings. Cdc cites estimates ranging from 5 to over 40 of people on ltoh.

One of the most dangerous activities you can do around oxygen is smoking. The man was smoking just before 3 a m. Don t let this happen to you or someone you care about. Dear friend who is trying to quit smoking we always advise against smoking while using an oxygen concentrator or any oxygen therapy equipment because if a spark catches the oxygen and has a fuel source it will ignite and spread extremely fast.

But for someone using oxygen therapy lighting up can be instantly tragic. The flame from a match or lighter and even the ember burning at the end of a cigarette can cause any nearby materials such as clothing hair or furniture to burst. In 2008 the centers for disease control and prevention reported that 89 of deaths related to fire and home oxygen use were caused by smoking for example. The reason oxygen is so dangerous is because while normal air has 21 percent oxygen supplemental oxygen can deliver up 90 percent pure oxygen which can create an environment where fires can easily ignite and burn very quickly.

While many people know that enriched oxygen atmospheres and flame are a bad combination addictive behavior is addictive behavior. He added that people who smoke while on oxygen also pose a threat because a. Because of the increased fire danger caused by oxygen a person using home oxygen should never smoke or be in the same room as a person smoking while the oxygen tank is turned on. At his residence in the 100 block of andrews street while using his oxygen tank which ignited the fire officials at the scene said.

Even though nationwide oxygen tank providers know that smoking addiction is difficult to overcome smokers who continue with their habit while using their portable oxygen concentrators are putting themselves at great risk not just from a health stand point but also from a physical standpoint. In new zealand people who are caught smoking while on oxygen therapy are banned from using the bottles tredget said. This leads to larger fires that are harder to extinguish and more difficult to escape.