O2

Oxygen is Not Flammable

Unlike other gases and chemicals, oxygen is not flammable. It is classified as an accelerator, meaning that if there is a fire and oxygen is present, the fire will burn. The more oxygen, the larger the fire and the faster it will spread. We are use to seeing fires burn in an atmosphere containing about 21 percent oxygen. This is the atmosphere in which most materials are tested for safety, such as the covering of a chair. But when oxygen is flowing near such material, the material absorbs the oxygen and becomes more susceptible to burning.

So, I am now more aware that the oxygen I cannot see has a presence, not only in my nostrils but all around me. My clothing and my hair contain more oxygen than that of a person not on oxygen.

Knowing this, I understand more fully the "five foot rule" and stay at least this distance away from sources of sparks and flames. I keep my concentrator and store both liquid and compressed oxygen containers at least five feet from any source of flames or spark.

I do not lean over a lighted gas stove with my cannula on; I no longer blow out the candles on my birthday cake; I no longer do the outdoor grilling. In general, I do not put myself in a position where I am too close to an existing fire.

I do not permit a cigarette to be lit near me. I do not permit smoking in the rooms where I normally use oxygen. The hidden danger here is that a hot ash could smolder for a long time before flaming up, I do not work with paint remover or other flammable products.