Smoking while on medical oxygen causes fire

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Just goes to show how addictive cigarette are. Smokers will still smoke no matter what, even if it means blowing themselves up while doing it.
 
The same thing happened to a fighter pilot once. The pilot was alternating between breathing through the mask and puffing away. It ended badly.
 
My great-grandma used to do that, my grandpa would yell at her "Would you quit smoking while on oxygen!? You're gonna blow us all up!"
 
It happens in hospitals more often than you would think. Addicts would smoke crack that was brought in by visitors while on oxygen, or grass smokers who couldn’t stand to not have one.

Not only does the resulting fire endanger the patient but everyone else. At discharge the police will be waiting with cuffs.
 
Yep there's a HUGE difference between an oxidizer and a flammable gas. Hydrogen would have exploded... cue video of the Hindenburg.

The compressed, high percentage oxygen mix basically turns the cigarette into a cutting torch.
smile.gif
 
The higher the local concentration of oxygen the more vigorous the combustion. In a high concentration environment stuff that normally just burns will explode, and stuff that wouldn't otherwise burn at all will ignite. The only thing worse is when the oxygen is under pressure as was the case for the Apollo 1 astronauts.

I always remember the high school chemistry experiment where you put a smoldering wood applicator stick into a test tube of oxygen, that was a good illustration of what happens.
 
Having worked around medical and industrial grade oxygen plants for the majority of my working life, I've grown to greatly respect oxygen in high concentration. Concrete will burn like wood, as will metals in a pure O2 atmosphere. Concrete blast walls have to be built around O2 compression equipment and big, thick aluminum enclosures cover liquid O2 pumping equipment. Makes this stuff a bear to work on, but it's there for our protection.
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
The compressed, high percentage oxygen mix basically turns the cigarette into a cutting torch.
smile.gif



Super charges the tobacco hit ... LOL.
 
If someone is already smoking and does it of their own free will you're starting at a deficit. They'll find an excuse to keep smoking. For many, the need is impossible to resist. They lack the willpower and maybe the intelligence to just quit. Adding medical oxygen is a first class ticket to real trouble. They don't see pure oxygen as what the military calls a force multiplier. No respect until something happens.
 
Back in 1994/5, I was adminsitering a contract that included stripping asbestos from a boiler. Whole area encapsulated in a (flammable) double layer of plastic, neg-air units, the whole lot.

A guy was found smoking inside the asbestos area (dumb), having burned a hole through his disposable dust mask to insert the ciggy.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
It happens during surgery when ESU ignites oxygen from anesthesia mask.

What is ESU?

and how do you ignite oxygen when it is non flammable ?
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
and how do you ignite oxygen when it is non flammable ?

You don't of course. Oxygen is an oxidizer, not a fuel and can't oxidize itself.

Unless your atmosphere is fluorine, but then you are going to have a whole host of other problems besides an oxygen fire.
 
Anything will catch on fire with the right level or O2, if I remember my chemistry correctly.
Any chemistry guys here can confirm/deny the above pls?
 
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