Ask A Scientist© Zoology Archive

status     other
age        30s

Question - Could humans breath (survive) in at
atmosphere containing pure oxigen?

Yes they could...for a while and then they would begin suffering from oxygen
toxicity which causes a number of serious problems not the least which are
some pretty serious neurological damage.

PF
========================================================
Sure. At normal atmospheric pressure, it's fairly dangerous, as ordinary
substances such as clothing become extremely flammable under those
conditions. In the short term, the human body has no problems with a high
concentration of oxygen. In fact, exposure to elevated oxygen pressures is
sometimes even used as a treatment for some diseases, such as gangrene.
Over the long term, some tissues may suffer oxidative damage. I don't
really know what the long-term health effects are, though.

Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Director
PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois
=========================================================