Oxygen Toxicity

 

Oxygen is a reactive and metabolically essential gas. When breathed in diluted, sub-atmospheric partial pressures (20.95 % of 1 atmosphere), it supports aerobic metabolism and its toxicity is buffered by the body's defenses. However, as a partial pressure of 0.5 atmospheres of oxygen is exceeded, it starts to produce pulmonary toxicity, and above 1.4 to 1.6 atmospheres, it may precipitate oxygen toxicity seizures within a short but unpredictable period of time.

 

This presentation reviews the nature and manifestation of oxygen toxicity from a practical standpoint.