Tel: 0500 823773    News Signup  Properties of Oxygen  Oxygen is
a colourless, odourless gas which is slightly denser than air.
It forms 21% of the air around us.  Most complex forms of life
rely on Oxygen to provide the energy they need to "fuel" their
physical function. Hence being deprived of Oxygen can be
detrimental to their wellbeing.  Oxygen is one of the three
components required for a fire to burn, the other two being fuel
and an ignition source.  Oxygen is not itself flammable but does
cause rapid burning.  Oxygen itself has no colour and no smell,
so in general there will be nothing to alert you if there is
more Oxygen than normal in the air.  Higher concentrations of
Oxygen than normal can have two major effects:    • Substances
which would not normally catch fire may actually do so   •
Substances which will normally burn or catch fire will do so at
lower temperatures.  For this reason, we ask you to observe the
following simple safety rules when using and/or handling medical
Oxygen equipment.  Pl