03/02/2024
How does someone breathe in too much oxygen?
People can breathe in too much oxygen when they breathe from a pure oxygen source, like an oxygen tank.
It’s not possible to get oxygen toxicity from breathing regular air. That’s because no matter how fast or hard you breathe, the concentration of oxygen in the air is always the same, which is about 21%.
But in a medical setting, people can receive a wide range of oxygen concentrations — from 21% to 100%. In medical settings, oxygen treatment is given as:
Supplemental oxygen: When people have trouble breathing, they get oxygen therapy through masks, cannulas, and other devices. The oxygen comes from a tank or a portable oxygen concentrator. In a hospital, the oxygen comes from a spigot in the wall which connects to a built-in system. Devices that attach to the oxygen source allow a healthcare provider to change the concentration of oxygen that someone receives.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: People receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy are exposed to high concentrations of oxygen under pressure for short periods of time. This therapy is used to treat only specific medical conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries, and decompression sickness (“the bends”).
Some people also use higher concentrations of oxygen in non-medical settings, like oxygen bars