Posted by Steve on August 09, 2001 at 16:35:16:
In Reply to: Re: what about price, Mike? posted by stwally on August 09, 2001 at 16:17:09:
"Isn't an added margin of safety worth a few dollars? Maybe you life isn't worth it, but mine is. "
If you're diving nitrox because you think it provides a margin of any increase safety, consider this. Any PPO2 above .5 has some increased risk of tox. I use nitrox occassionally but not because it is safer than air, I'll use for extra NDL time and except the increased risk.
Dr. Hamilton wrote:
Chronic Oxygen Toxicity
Any dose of oxygen that exceeds 0.5 atmospheres absolute (ata), partial pressure, carries some toxicity risk. At exposures below 1.5 ata, the greater risk is pulmonary, or chronic, toxicity, not central nervous system, or acute, toxicity. Oxygen toxicity is why we put up with inert gases at all. We have to dilute oxygen in the diving atmosphere.