oxygen & smoking

[chessington]

My neighbour is being discharged from hospital with oxygen, he has breathing problems COPD and has said he is still going to smoke, is this safe??
thanks in advance

[Sqad]

Perfectly safe..........BUT won't help his COPD much.

[daftgrandad]

I hope common sense will prevail in his case.

[boxtops]

Some people never learn.... why have all that treatment, at the expense of the NHS and the rest of us, then carrying on smoking - which has almost certainly contributed to his COPD in the first place. Grrrr.

[chessington]

thanks for the quick replies, you put my mind at rest sqad, I agree with what you both say daftgrandad & boxtops.

[Sqad]

Eddie...no I am NOT having a laugh....Oxygen is NOT combustible.

[237SJ]

I have a smoke hood if I have to fight a fire at work (God forbid). I would never use a therapeutic oxygen bottle and mask. A huge no-no. Moving oxygen bottles out of the way of a fire is a major part of our fire drill as well. Oxygen and fire don`t mix.

[Sqad]

237SJ....that is different.

Oxygen is a non combustible gas BUT will support combustion as will air.
The O2 bottles will not explode.

An old person dropping a cigarette whilst asleep will still develop burns whether there is O2 or just surrounding air.

O2 will support combustion, but it is a non combustible gas.

[Carakeel]

With respect, I'm not sure how one can ever class smoking as "safe", squad! I have no idea about how combustable an oxygen tank is, but smoking isn't safe for many other reasons! If this man has any sense, he will make the best of his treatment and not endanger his health even more by continuing to smoke!

[237SJ]

The O2 bottles will explode which is why we have to move them well away from any fire or situation where a fire may develop. A fire needs oxygen to work which is why BCF changes the chemical composition of a fire and interrupts the interaction of oxygen and ignition.

[Postdog]

Definitely not safe. pressurised oxygen and potentional naked flames don't mix.

[237SJ]

Well to be fair I guess the little oxygen that escapes from a mask or nasal cannulae wouldn`t be a huge issue with a cigarette in reasonably close proximity. It would be diluted with air. My experience is in a fire situation which is a competely different scenario.

[Sqad]

A naked flame will be supported by O2 but extremely unlikely to explode, combust or indeed make the O2 tank explode.

I suppose that there may well be situations where this may happen...e.g if a tank is leaking, but in the home situation this is extremely unlikely in my opinion.

If I am wrong, then i concede to greater knowledge and experience.

[rowanwitch]

I am really anti smoking but if the damage is already done and smoking provides pleasure and comfort in end stage disease I would see no point in stopping unless it is to benefit others in the household with regard to passive smoking...

[PringlesQueen]

I am with rowanwitch on this one. However, smoking / naked flames should not be near oxygen cylinders / masks. Whilst I agree with Sqad that the risk of oxygen enrichment is minimal, I would not advocate smoking in the vicinity of oxygen cylinders or people receiving oxygen therapy.
BOC have a useful page on safe storage and use of oxygen cylinders http://www.boconline..../oxygen_gas_risks.asp

[237SJ]

Smoking in the vicinity of oxygen cylinders isn`t a risk. In the old days of smoking on aircraft, did you ever sit "down the back"? That was where the smoking section was and that is where the the oxygen cylinders were.

[anneasquith]

i have to commend rowan on her compassionate reply.

[rowanwitch]

thank you Anne... many times I had to make this argument with young keen nurses who took the health promotion part of the role a little to zealously

[campbellking]

We have seen patients with very nice symmetrical burn marks resembling the nasal cannulae, so even if the patient's not going to burn to death, it's not always particularly comfortable
Does remind me of my Grandad who had emphysema, and went onto home oxygen. He had stopped smoking, but my Nan continued to smoke in the chair next to him. No explosions to report, but she did die of lung cancer before he then passed away.