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>>I have no sympathy for smokers I have never and will never see the logic in >>deliberately breathing toxic fumes into your lungs (particularly when for > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >Why do you think they call oxygen toxicity "oxygen *TOXIC*ity"??? > >And, yeah, it can be a hell of a lot worse than smoking (O2 tox, that is)... ...thud, thud, thud... (sound of author banging head on desk) Ok you got!! Oxygen can have a toxic effect on lung tissue (and other tissues in the body) at high partial pressures. Heck if you want to be really pedantic oxygen is toxic at any partial pressure the effect is just more prenounced at high partial pressures. Problem is we can't survive too long without it where as, despite what many smoker say, it is quite possible to survive without the nicotine (a very toxic substance), tar, CO and multitude of other substances derived from cigarette smoke. I beleive also (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will) that the damage caused by oxygen toxicity to the lungs (pulmonary oxygen toxicity) is reversible while lung cancer is generally fatal or at least the treatment has some pretty nasty side effects. It is also my understanding that convulsions and other symptoms would preceed pulmonary oxygen toxicity which I beleive takes some time to develop. Presumably in the hyperbaric environment a trained observer would recognise these symptoms and discontinue treatment before any long term damage resulted, or better still use air breaks to prevent any symptoms developing (the effects of nicotine and tar on the body are far more insideous). Obviously if your underwater when affected by oxygen toxicity you would be in trouble, particularly if you weren't using a full face mask and didn't have a buddy (support team) to help you (see "Solo diving" thread). Hmmm perhaps thats why there is such a thing as dive planning. Simon Rules of Brachian Ultra Cricket: "...When a player scores a hit on another player he must immediately run away and apologise from a safe distance. Apologies should be sincere, concise and, for maximum clarity and impact, delivered through a megaphone..." - from "Life the universe and Everything" (I think) by Douglas Adams ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon L Hartley o o Oo o Associate Lecturer oo o o Faculty of Resource Science and Management o oo _____ o oo Southern Cross University o (_/-\_) oo P.O. Box 157 ===(S) o Lismore NSW, Australia 2480 Ph: (066) 203 251 or (61 66) 203 251 Fax:(066) 212 669 E-mail: shartley@sc*.ed*.au* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.scu.edu.au/ressci/staff/shartley.html
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