Oxygen toxicityOxygen is toxic at elevated partial pressures and oxygen toxicity can therefore occur whenever the oxygen partial pressure is substantially elevated for more than a few hours. Oxygen toxicity is a diving disorder and also a potential complication of mechanical ventilation.
When diving, oxygen toxicity maybe caused by breathing any breathing gas at the high pressure of depth.
In humans, there are several types of oxygen toxicity:
- Central nervous system oxygen toxicity is caused by breathing oxygen at above 1 bar for periods over two hours. At 1.6 bar or more partial pressures of oxygen, a dangerous exposure period may as little as seconds or minutes . Divers may suffer a an epileptic fit, which although not lethal in itself, can cause drowning or lethal pressure damage from rapid ascent.
- Pulmonary oxygen toxicity is caused by exposure over 16 hours to partial pressures of 0.5 bar or more. The damage to the lungs may be irreversible. This is rare complication in divers, but may is of concern in intensive care patients needing high inspired oxygen concentrations.
- ''Retinopathy of prematurity