Hi All,
After almost 3 years of remission an episode of CH has started up again. I found this website and message board and after reading all the positive things people have said about O2 treatment I talked to my doctor and was able to get a prescription.

I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from the O2 supplier and have some questions I'm hoping people here could answer, specifically regarding using O2 in an office setting. I'm lucky enough to have my own office where I can store a tank but I'm curious about safety issues. If I'm in a small enclosed room using O2 are electronics (computers and monitors) or air conditioners / electric heaters a risk? Should I open a window?

Normally my episodes last until the middle of the winter and generally I get hit in the middle of the morning. I'm dreading going through them again but I can't help but be excited about using something other than imitrex to deal with it (crossing my fingers O2 works for me).

p.s. I'm really grateful I found this board, it's nice to not feel alone dealing with CHs.

I'm assuming that you are an employee. If that's the case, your employer is the sole judge and will involve both fire dept regulations and the company's safety policies.

So, ask your personnel office.

The risk with oxygen is mainly due to the possibility that, if there's a spark of any kind, there *could* be instant fire. Emphasis on *could*. It's actually pretty rare for 02 users to catch themselves on fire, but there's always a small potential. For this reason, I choose to keep my 02 rig in the car and dash out to use it if needed. But this is personal to me--I work at a computer store, so even the small chance is not worth it. If you are talking about the average office, then it's probably overkill to leave the tank outside. In that case, bring it right inside. Remember that there are lots of oxygen users out there, and that in the normal course of things, it's quite safe. Just don't light a match.  ;)

jkclevel wrote on Oct 4^th, 2012 at 3:09pm:

I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from the O2 supplier and have some questions I'm hoping people here could answer, specifically regarding using O2 in an office setting. I'm lucky enough to have my own office where I can store a tank but I'm curious about safety issues. If I'm in a small enclosed room using O2 are electronics (computers and monitors) or air conditioners / electric heaters a risk? Should I open a window?

You have no need to be concerned about using O2 in an office environment. Remember that O2 is used all the time in hospitals without any problems. The average cubicle in the Emergency Department has heaps of electronic equipment in it (eg computers, ECG machines, various monitoring equipment, infusion pumps etc) and there are never any problems with that.

In my role as an ambulance paramedic (EMT) for 30 years  I have used oxygen in a huge variety of environments including offices, factories, wrecked cars, houses with heaters operating, in fact just about anywhere you care to name. I have never had any sort of incident with oxygen and never heard of any of my colleagues having an issue.

While the general advice to avoid using oxygen near open flames and avoid smoking etc is not unreasonable the actual level of risk is overstated. In the circumstances that most people would use oxygen the risks of the oxygen fueling a fire is pretty low.

In a workplace environment you may want to consider making sure your cylinder can't fall over. A falling cylinder carries a small risk of falling onto someone and hurting them. There is also a risk that should the cylinder fall onto the valve it could shear off the valve resulting in the cylinder being propelled through the air with great force. The likelihood of this is not high but it is not zero. The risk of a falling cylinder causing injury is low with small cylinders and obviously greater with large cylinders. You are likely to be using smaller cylinders in an office I would think. Either lie the cylinder down so it can't fall or have a cord or chain to secure it to a solid object.

Good luck with it.

I have used oxygen for 30+ years, using it in my office and enclosed car without problem (I do crack the window in the car). Oxygen its self is not flammable, it is just the O2 part of rapid oxidation (fire). It will do nothing without a fuel source that is either already on fire, or conditions are right close to it (heat + fuel). There are a few chemical reactions that don't fit that statement, but unless you are a chemist I don't think you will run into those. Just remember it is about concentration, the higher the % of pure O2 the more dangerous it is to play with fire. In an average room say 10x10x8' = 800 cubic feet (that is 22,654 liters), using 25lpm for 20 minutes (500 liters) increases the O2 concentration only by 2%, not counting what you are absorbing by huffing it. So you see, unless you are spraying it directly on a fire, or in a room with much much higher concentration (say above 40%), you have little to fear.

Thanks everyone! You've really alleviated some of the fears I had about this. When I finally hear back from my O2 supplier and get a tank I figure I'll run it by the head of our facilities department (who sits a few doors down from me and is also the head of my department), I expect it won't be a problem but worse case scenario I can just keep it in my car outside which won't be so bad.

Thanks for the heads up about securing it or laying it down. I SCUBA dive and have definitely stubbed a toe or two with a poorly secured air tank but it hadn't crossed my mind to do so here. I'm going to hopefully get an M60 sized tank for the office and should be able to secure it to a bookcase in the corner.

Thanks again
Jeff

Not sure if this is even relatable to this topic, but I went to a concert the other day and some guy had a portable o2 tank with him and was outside smoking with the thing on! I couldn't believe it! talk about taking a risk! Craaazzzzyyy! [smiley=gocrazy.gif]

jkclevel,
You are most certainly not alone, welcome to Clusterviille ;)

I've never heard of electronics, a/c unit, etc being a hazard with an o2 tank but double check with your o2 supplier just to be safe.  Always turn the knob off when not in use...and certainly don't light a flame/smoke while using it...


niavas wrote on Oct 8^th, 2012 at 11:33am:

Not sure if this is even relatable to this topic, but I went to a concert the other day and some guy had a portable o2 tank with him and was outside smoking with the thing on! I couldn't believe it! talk about taking a risk! Craaazzzzyyy! [smiley=gocrazy.gif]

I see this at least 10x/daily in the casinos here in Las Vegas.  Usually elderly people smoking while breathing through nasal canulas while sitting at their slot/video poker machine.  Stupid! [smiley=hammer.gif]

-Gregg in Las Vegas