Precautions of oxygen - Combustion and other hazards

Concentrated O₂ will allow combustion to proceed rapidly and energetically. Steel pipes and storage vessels used to store and transmit both gaseous and liquid oxygen will act as a fuel; and therefore the design and manufacture of O₂ systems requires special training to ensure that ignition sources are minimized. The fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew on a test launch pad spread so rapidly because the capsule was pressurized with pure O³4_{5³ but at slightly more than atmospheric pressure, instead of the ⅓ normal pressure that would be used in a mission. (No single ignition source of the fire was conclusively identified, although some evidence points to arc from an electrical spark). (Report of Apollo 204 Review Board NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Office, NASA HQ, Washington, DC)) (Chiles 2001)}

Liquid oxygen spills, if allowed to soak into organic matter, such as wood, petrochemicals, and asphalt can cause these materials to detonate unpredictably on subsequent mechanical impact. On contact with the human body, it can also cause cryogenic burns to the skin and the eyes.

See also:

• oxygen

• Precautions of oxygen
• oxygen