Liquid Oxygen (LOx): Hazards, Risks & Safety Precautions

Liquid oxygen (LOx) has uses in the medical, aerospace, and other commercial industries. An extremely cold fluid, it boils at nearly minus 183 degrees centigrade. While very useful, liquid oxygen poses many important health and safety risks.

Cold

• Liquid oxygen (a cryogenic fluid) may cause dangerous burns, and vessels in which it is stored may cause skin to freeze to them. Splashing, and eye damage, may occur.

Material Failures

• Liquid oxygen exposure embrittles many objects that then might unexpectedly shatter.

Pressure

• Liquid oxygen is stored in pressurized containers. If a container is defective or seriously damaged or tampered with, it may burst violently, creating shrapnel.

Fire

• Flammable substances, that is, substances that burn under ordinary conditions (including grease and oil), may flare up suddenly and uncontrollably in the presence of pure oxygen.

Toxicity

• Oxygen gas (O₂) that boils off can "supercharge" the surroundings, exposing individuals breathing that atmosphere to possible oxygen toxicity.

Explosion

• Some substances that readily burn react so fast with the boil-off of pure liquid oxygen that they may explode.