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Dave Story wrote:
> I think the "osteonecrosis is caused by elevated oxygen tension"
> competes with the (IMO) slightly more plausible "microbubble showers
> block bone marrow blood flow".

Although I make no claim to be an expert in this area I tend to agree.
At least the oxygen theory is speculative and I'm not going to change
my diving habits based on it. The benefits of using oxygen are well
known. There are decades of experience behind it - enough that, as
John Heimann suggested, it should be possible to find evidence if
there is a problem with it. The speculation about osteonecrosis was
actually mentioned as something off the wall appearing in a journal.

Unfortunately this is not like the controversy over some theories
about nutrition, such as the alleged benefits of oat bran. No one
was saying there was any harm in consuming oat bran just in case
there was benefit. If the microbubble theory of osteonecrosis is
correct then abandoning the use of oxygen is actually harmful with
regard to the very problem the change would be intended to help.
I remain open to new evidence, but I'm not changing anything yet.

Bill Mayne

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