Oxygen makes things burn much faster. Think of what happens when you blow into a fire -- it makes the flame bigger. If you are using oxygen in your home, you must take extra care to stay safe.
Make sure that you have working smoke detectors. Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher in your home. If you move around the house with your oxygen, you may need more than one fire extinguisher.
Smoking can be very dangerous.
Keep oxygen 6 feet away from:
You will need to be careful with your oxygen when you cook.
Do not store your oxygen in a trunk, box, or small closet. Storing your oxygen under the bed is okay if air can move freely under the bed.
Keep liquids that may catch fire away from your oxygen. This includes cleaning products that contain oil, grease, alcohol, or other liquids that can burn.
Do not use Vaseline or other petroleum-based creams and lotions on your face or upper part of your body unless you talk to your respiratory therapist or doctor first.
Avoid tripping over oxygen tubing.
Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
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