It’s a common thing to see a diver with an enriched air nitrox tank, this is due to the popularity of the PADI enriched air diver course. Enriched air offers you longer bottom times with shorter surface intervals, but all that comes with hazard considerations such as oxygen toxicity which can be avoided easily but once occurring underwater, it will be deadly.

In our article, you will find questions and answers that cover the whole subject. just follow along with us.

What is oxygen toxicity?

Breathing oxygen under high partial pressure for long periods can cause harmful effects on your body. To understand the hazards of that you must know that the normal breathing process takes place as follows:

1. You inhale air.
2. The oxygen you inhaled from the air enters your lungs.
3. After entering, oxygen goes into your blood.
4. Then, Blood delivers oxygen to all parts of the body.

This continuous process keeps organs and tissues to work normally. The problem occurs when you inhale oxygen in high levels. This brings harm to the lung tissues.

The lung’s alveoli may be filled with fluid and can no longer inflate again. This case is called the collapsed lung. The lung then can’t play its turn in the breathing process normally (taking in the air). Sending oxygen to the blood becomes harder and central nervous system symptoms appear.

What are the two types of oxygen toxicity?

• The first type is pulmonary oxygen toxicity.

It isn’t a common case among divers because the main cause to get it is the prolonged breathing of high concentrations of oxygen. This happens when a person undergoes a hyperbaric chamber thereby or breaths 100 percent oxygen while undergoing to an extended evacuation.

This type needs exposure to the cause for long periods exceeding the length of a dive to get it. So, the symptoms usually appear after hours or days of oxygen administration.

• The second type which is of serious concern to divers is central nervous system (CNS) oxygen toxicity.

Unlike the first type, this case needs a very short time of exposing to occur. That means it affects divers who improperly calculate the maximum depth of their gas mix or exceed it. Unfortunately, this case arises suddenly and affects the tissues of the brain and spinal cord resulting in seizures and vital tissue damage.

What are the symptoms of every type?

The pulmonary oxygen toxicity symptoms begin with inflammations in the airway and then lung inflammation occurs resulting in alveolar damage which may cause a decline in lung function, but the damage caused by this type is entirely reversible.

The CNS oxygen toxicity symptoms begin with lipo eye twitching, anxiety and confusion, but in most cases, convulsions present with no precursors.

What causes oxygen toxicity?

This condition can occur if a person uses supplemental oxygen or canned air which can give you high levels of oxygen, such as:

• The scuba oxygen tank used for diving.
• Therapy with hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
• Using a breathing machine like a mechanical ventilator in hospitals.

What are the oxygen toxicity symptoms?

We can summarize the two types of oxygen toxicity symptoms in:

1. Mild irritation in the throat.
2. Chest pain.
3. Twitching in the muscles of the face and hands.
4. coughing.
5. Trouble breathing.
6. Dizziness.
7. Blurry vision.
8. A feeling of unease.
9. Nausea.
10. Convulsions.
11. Confusion.

What is the oxygen toxicity treatment?

If you have a collapsed lung, you will need a tube inserted into your chest to help you in breathing. If not, your lungs will fully recover on their own, but that will take a week or more. Your physician will tell you about all the medications or other treatments you will need and will answer all your questions.

How to prevent oxygen toxicity?

Follow these tips to reduce the risk of oxygen toxicity:

• Reduce the amount of oxygen in supplemental breathing sources you use.
  • If you are on a ventilator, make sure that your healthcare team has adjusted the settings of the machine.
  • If you undergo oxygen therapy or wear scuba equipment, ensure to change the settings with the help of your physician or your instructor.
  • If you are using portable oxygen, confirm with your health provider to test you during normal activities to ensure that the oxygen is in the correct settings.
•  Talk to your health provider about using oxygen safely.
• While getting into deep dives, you must get special gas mixtures.
• Divers who breathe enriched air using rebreathers must be certified as enriched air or rebreather divers if they are using a gas mixture containing more than 21 percent oxygen.

How to diagnose oxygen toxicity?

The oxygen level in your blood may measured in two ways:

• By using a device that is placed on your finger or a toe.
• One of the healthcare staff will take a sample of your blood and analyze it.

You must tell them if you have had oxygen therapy or getting into a scuba dive lately.

Why is oxygen toxic to cells?

Generally, It is thought that hyperoxia harms cells due to the accumulation of toxic levels of ROI which includes H2o2 and O2 anion. The endogenous antioxi_dant defenses of the body can’t adequately scavenge these compounds.

How long does it take to recover from oxygen toxicity?

Your lungs may take weeks or more to be fully recovered.