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Smoking in the Presence of Someone on Portable Oxygen

The air around you is made up 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. For some, such as those with lung disease, 21 percent of oxygen is not enough to saturate the blood stream. In those cases, physicians prescribe oxygen therapy, which delivers 100 percent pure oxygen to the blood.

  1. Accelerant

    • Oxygen acts as an accelerant when mixed with fire. Therefore, a fire will burn hotter and faster in an oxygen-rich environment. For individuals on long-term oxygen therapy, not only is their blood being saturated with pure oxygen, but so are their surroundings, including clothes, hair, furniture and carpeting.

    Statistics

    • Fires associated with tobacco use are the leading cause of death in residential fires in the United States, states a study initiated by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Maine and three other states examined fatal fires involving home oxygen over a seven-year time frame. The four states combined cited 38 deaths, including one of a minor. Thirty-four of the deceased were on oxygen therapy and smoking at the time of the fire. The Massachusetts Office of the State Fire Marshall warns that smoking should be prohibited in a home where oxygen is in use.

    Safety

    • Additional safety tips include ensuring a working fire extinguisher is in the house, staying away from open flames and not using flammable materials. Drugs.com recommends turning the oxygen off if a fire starts and leaving the house immediately. Do not use an extension cord with an oxygen concentrator and do not plug it into an outlet with other appliances.

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