can prolong use of oxygen damage the lungs?

Question

Many athletes use 100% oxygen on the sidelines. Has there been studies done to see if there is any tissue damage from chronic exposure to high concentration of oxygen?

Answer 1

Yes actually. Many studies have shown that high concentration oxygen is harmful to all different types of tissue. Its called oxygen toxicity.

Interestingly, back in world war 2, the allies developed a self-contained breathing device. Basically, it allowed a person to breath in pure oxygen and breath out the carbon dioxide into a container - so no bubbles would break the surface and reveal the person's position in the water. Great invention, right? Not so much - some of the divers died of oxygen poisoning.

Also, in studies done on ventilated patients in the intensive care unit, it was demonstrated that prolonged high concentration oxygen use was harmful. For that reason, doctors titrate down the oxygen percentage (also called FiO2) on the ventilator as quickly as the patient can tolerate it to get it as close to room air (21% O2) as possible.

However, I don't know that athletes are really in much danger. How do they take the O2? Chances are they aren't really getting pure oxygen - its more likely mixing with the air. Of course, they probably aren't receiving much benefit, either. Their hemoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein in our red blood cells) is already saturated with oxygen (unless they have some kind of problem, and since they're professional athletes, I doubt they do!) and delivering a higher concentration of O2 in that setting might not be to helpful. To each their own.

Answer 2

I'm 30 years old and have been using oxygen since I was born and my lungs are fine... I think.

Answer 3

I believe so.I'm basing this on a dim memory from a medical TV show.

Answer 4

I'm no expert but no.