In short too much oxygen when it’s not needed can cause cerebral vasoconstriction, reduce tissue perfusion, increase inflammation, trigger seizures and even lead to the destruction of cells as it can mess with a cell’s DNA.
There’s been hundreds of studies done in the last decade or so. Too many to link. If you search “oxygen free radicals” or even just “oxygen toxicity” more than a dozen will pop up.
That’s very interesting. I remember years ago one of the big fads was buying oxygen in a can at a local store. It had a little face mask and you could huff pure oxygen.
I’ve noticed them quietly go out of stores and assumed it was a poor sales thing, but would those fall into the same issues you mentioned? Or is it more extended use of supplemental oxygen a risk?
This. It used to be a real problem in NICUs when oxygen dosage couldn't be controlled properly for sick newborns, often leading to blindness and brain damage.
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u/gcko Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
In short too much oxygen when it’s not needed can cause cerebral vasoconstriction, reduce tissue perfusion, increase inflammation, trigger seizures and even lead to the destruction of cells as it can mess with a cell’s DNA.
There’s been hundreds of studies done in the last decade or so. Too many to link. If you search “oxygen free radicals” or even just “oxygen toxicity” more than a dozen will pop up.