Why Is Liquid Oxygen a Hazardous Material?

In its natural state, oxygen is a gas; it must be compressed to be in a liquid form. This liquid is highly volatile--if it escapes its container, it can cause serious burns, and near flame it will violently explode. Liquid oxygen will burn the skin and eyes and will change the internal composition of many materials, causing them to disintegrate.

Why It Needs Special Storage Tanks

Oxygen in liquid, compressed form is very cold; it will boil at or even below -180 degrees centigrade. Above that temperature it starts to expand and could explode out of any container it is stored inside. It must be stored in special tanks that have been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the purpose. In order to transform this liquid into oxygen gas, a special vaporizer valve, also approved by ANSI, is required.

Don't Try to Breathe It Unless It's Diluted

We breathe oxygen without harm in its normal, gaseous form at about a 21 percent concentration all the time, as it mixed with the atmosphere. We can breathe up to 50 percent oxygen without harm to the body. However, concentrations as high as 80 percent can irritate the respiratory tract and cause serious breathing problems, reduce lung function, and cause neurological disorders and even loss of consciousness. Breathing pure liquid oxygen can cause death.

Rules for Transporting Liquid Oxygen

Shipping containers that carry liquid oxygen must be approved by the Department of Transportation. Safety officials have a number of rigorous requirements concerning how the containers should be handled and transported and at what temperatures. If liquid oxygen should spill on a blacktop road, for instance, it could damage the surface severely. If it should spill on clothing or hair, it is a serious risk for combustion.

What Is Liquid Oxygen Used For?

It has military applications as a rocket fuel. It is also used in acetylene torches and other metal cutting applications. The main reason for liquefying the gas is to make it easy to transport, since it can be compressed into a small tank to be released later as needed. Recently, there have been studies in how to use liquid oxygen in water for breatheable water treatments.

Personal Protection

Any person who works with oxygen in liquid form must be careful to use a protective face shield, safety glasses, gloves that protect against vary cold temperatures, long-sleeved work shirts, and long pants, as well as protective boots. The possible physical results of a careless spill are too great to be ignored.

First Aid

If your skin should come in contact with liquid oxygen, it is necessary to remove any clothing that has touched it immediately. Bathe the affected area with lukewarm, not hot, water. A yellowish color will likely be apparent where the material itself has contacted bare skin. If this is the case, be sure to contact a doctor or get to the emergency room as soon as possible.

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