Pure Oxygen

    Someone once told me that I was like a breath of fresh air, further mentioning how pure oxygen is bad for one's health. “You’re like pure oxygen,” they ended. I remained silent. “That was a compliment,” they said. To which I replied, “No, you called me toxic.” “You are.” “I am.” 

Pure oxygen is toxic, the non toxic being made up of a healthy bit of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and small amounts of Carbon Dioxide, Neon and Hydrogen. It is a key ingredient to the spreading of combustion reactions, potentially wreaking havoc on the environment surrounded by it due to a simple spark. Breathing in pure oxygen will release free radicals into the body, causing an inhibition of the body’s ability to regulate physiological processes. 

Away from the troposphere, within the stratosphere, free oxygen molecules are free to move about a free radical cycle of creating ozone and oxygen, that process having in the near past been harmed due to the influx of CFCs released into our atmosphere. Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, are nontoxic nonflammable chemicals containing carbon, fluorine, and chlorine atoms. CFCs essentially act as catalysts in the decomposition of ozone into oxygen, the rate of reaction being faster than the reverse reaction and effectively creating holes in our ozone layer. Although these compounds are considered nontoxic, I feel that it is only in reference to the health of living organisms, not our planet. Non Flammable chemicals can effectively smother a fire and are less reactive, or free radical, than things such as Oxygen. When comparing the two, Oxygen, the toxic and potentially dangerous molecule plays an important role in the protection of our planet, keeping the ozone layer stable in order to absorb ultraviolet radiation before it reaches the earth’s surface. The cons of CFCs diminished the pros of the ozone layer, the abundant use of them having now dried out because of this.

The use of CFCs was the major problem for planetary health in our near past, but that doesn't mean that now that the problem is controlled, the danger is oxygen. Its potentially dangerous effects such as the spreading of combustion are minimal without the help of human manipulation of fire. Carbon Dioxide, a significant byproduct of oxygen enriched combustion, should eventually displace enough of the surrounding oxygen due to its higher density to effectively smother the fire. Of course, human intervention has created an ability to produce controlled fires with steady flows of oxygen, which can lead to unprecedented combustion related and systematically hazardous events instead of a forest burning down. These controlled combustions are used almost daily in things such as power plants and factories, cars engines, ovens, etc. That famous byproduct, CO2, has increased in concentration within our atmosphere, quickly becoming the primary greenhouse gas in comparison to O2 which does not have an electric charge, stopping any potential infrared radiation absorption. Of course oxygen must circulate in order to help control these fires, but the byproducts have a much more detrimental impact on our entire planet, effectively reducing the gravity in which Oxygen is a problem.

 CFCs having a bad run in with oxygen and depleting the ozone layer, then moving towards Carbon Dioxide being created from oxygen rich combustion in mass amounts and participating greatly in global warming has shown that being oxygen rich can both be a problem and an aiding factor, depending on perspective. Pure oxygen being as reactive as it is allows it to be bad for some abiotic factors, but not for others, and without moderation, completely toxic for some biotic factors. Oxygen is good for you. Oxygen is bad for you. Oxygen will be however it is allowed to be. Unless given specific constraints/boundaries and proper management, oxygen will react as it pleases without deliberation.

As a scholar, please do not blame oxygen for how it reacts, but rather reevaluate the conditions in which the reaction took place in order to properly work towards the originally intended outcome. This is a practice not only in understanding but in empathy, to which there is a lack within humanity currently. Being pure Oxygen in an unusually increased atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide, nonreactive molecules, has, again, a smothering effect and is essentially toxic for the Oxygen. Essentially. Both Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen are intertwined in a special life giving system called respiration, where one is exchanged for another in order to maintain homeostasis, or the upkeep of physiological processes. But right now, there is too much carbon dioxide, too much nonreactivity and the balance is uneven. Maybe a bit more of that “toxic oxygen” would do some good. So yes, I am toxic. And thank you, for the compliment.

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    This is just a play on science terminology and by no means completely accurate scientifically as terminology is being used for metaphors within a storytelling aspect. It is my first post as I am beginning to explore the mechanics of blogging. Thank you, and everything is less than three <3