Vaping around Oxygen

[Arnie H]

So I want to ask those who are more technically savvy. Is it safe to vape where oxygen is being used? Like in a medical facility. hospital, etc. Got another "no vaping allowed" response while at the doctors office. Now, as far as I know there is no combustion or flame and probably no spark either, but I want to be safe and don't want to endanger anybody. Certainly was not my intention to blow up the place.

The person said "we can't have any FUMES"? She knew it was an ecig, but I don't know how much she knows about em. She had that look of surprise, disbelief when she saw me vaping. It is something I have seen before and reminds me of the look a child has when they first learn the truth about Santa Clause.

 

[onion456]

oxygen itself isn't flammable, it is an accelerant, half the equation necessary for combustion.

youd need a flammable substance, like acetelyne, or gasoline, along with the oxygen, and at the proper ratio, for there to be an explosion danger. and you'd probably need to be dry burning your wick at the same time, to have something hot enough to ignite it. =)

 

[stevegmu]

It is safe. If they don't allow it and can't come up with a good reason, they will just fake it and say something like the oxygen excuse.

 

[AttyPops]

I like the old documentaries and even Hollywood shows that show people smoking, actual flame, in hospitals and such. lol. That's not to say I think you should smoke around oxygen (a definite no-no).

Hospitals have a lot of rules about stuff like that to keep their air quality high and clean. But I'll bet it doesn't matter two hoots when it comes to vaping. We've all read about the experiments where they pumped PG into the air as a test...

Yet, it's their building and their rules.

It could be a minor irritant in large enough concentrations I suppose. If you are near someone that's on oxygen, why would you vape around them? You wouldn't.

 

[hazarada]

I avoid vaping in petrol stations since the coil does get hotter than the autoignition point of gasoline vapor under regular use.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

I avoid vaping in petrol stations since the coil does get hotter than the autoignition point of gasoline vapor under regular use.

If the coil wasn't bathed in e-juice

Coil will only get as hot as the juice as it vaporizes, dry burning and getting the coil red hot...maybe

 

[rpc1]

In the presence of oxygen or flammable gas, I wouldn't turn on or off any electrical device, especially one that has a heating element. At the very least, I would stay several feet away. An e-cig does have a switch with contacts, and I have no idea whether or not it is sealed from the environment.

 

[Thedan1284]

Medical/dental oxygen is roughly 90-95 percent pure oxygen. Aircraft emergency breathing oxygen from the emergency face mask regulator for pilots and people in the cockpit (not the dixie cups they give passengers/crew) is pure 100percent. Yesterday i changed out 3 70lb gaseous o2 bottles (100percent). Vaping my sub ohm coil between actions. Did it with no worry. However, after i finished my boss opened the bottles valve and sprayed me with the pure o2 to cool me down. (Rapid air expansion ='s temp drop --like cold dust off). I was vaping while he suprised me with this chill. Unless there is an actual flame or a situation where something is actually combisting you SHOULDNT have anything to worry about. Me as your gueni pig test subject/witness. I wouldt go about vaping in o2 enriched places because most people tend to be overly cautious. And i honesty dont think theres anything wrong with that. Because if something did take the 1000-1 chance and went wrong, i wouldnt want to be on the bad end of conscience or lawsuit. I also break people into my vaping softly in fear that un informed people with direct influence on my ability to vape may be offended and make a rash and uninformed call that is to my and other vapers dismay.

 

[Nermal]

I also break people into my vaping softly in fear that un informed people with direct influence on my ability to vape may be offended and make a rash and uninformed call that is to my and other vapers dismay.

A practical and likely productive approach. Don't forget the ones with an indirect influence, of course. They are called voters.

 

[hazarada]

If the coil wasn't bathed in e-juice

Coil will only get as hot as the juice as it vaporizes, dry burning and getting the coil red hot...maybe

dry hits are not exactly uncommon, during which parts of the coil can easily reach 280C

 

[SissySpike]

I would vape around oxygen. I would not vape around gasoline vapors.

 

[ZeroDisorder]

My only thought is that a dry burn is bad in any flammable/accelerant enriched environment might be potentially risky. The conditions would be specific to cause a problem though. One thing that would come to mind would be a dry burn, and specifically a dry burn/hit using cotton in an oxygen rich environment. Your cotton would do some odd things in that condition. Gasoline would be of a lesser concern I would think, given that if a combustion situation were to happen inside the atomizer, it would be concealed inside the atomizer. I think external contact switches would be of a much bigger concern though.

I still wouldn't push it.

 

[Ref Minor]

I was in hospital a few weeks ago, I was allowed to vape in my bed but after the operation whilst I had an oxygen tube I was told no. It definitely wasn't an anti vaping thing as they were very encouraging about it, just not around oxygen.

 

[river.guy]

I worked at a medical supply house for a short time. In the 3 months or so being there, couldn't count the number of hospice patients laying in their bed on O2 puffing away on analogs WHILE the canula was in their nose. By the time most people that smoke find out they are going to die shortly, they don't care about quitting. I showed many of them ecigs and they were open to the idea and many did switch. I used to vape in my service van! Point is...wouldn't worry about it unless it violates policy in a particular situation.

 

[gthompson]

Pretty simple, if they say you can't vape there, don't vape there. Whether their reasoning is right or wrong doesn't really matter, it's their place not yours.

 

[Thedan1284]

dry hits are not exactly uncommon, during which parts of the coil can easily reach 280C

Silica will not combust under a coil, same with stainless, ceramics ect... The ejuice may combust into a small flame (if you let your coil get hot enough). However imo the atomizer attached will get in the way of the air/enriched o2 flow and cut your possibility of any flames large enough to support further fuel - as in the building your in and surroundings- from being prone to catching on fire and rapidly flaming at higher temps.
I imagine in the worst case scenerio. A cotton wick while sucking in pure o2 fizzeling and burning your toungue while dry hitting a subohm coil. It would then almost immediatly run out of fuel to burn as it was contained within your atty thus ending the fire/combustion immediatly.

 

[Thedan1284]

Indeed because the gas vapors are combustable themselves instead of a agent that supports combustion such as O2

 

[Arnie H]

Pretty simple, if they say you can't vape there, don't vape there. Whether their reasoning is right or wrong doesn't really matter, it's their place not yours.

Yes, this is true. With private establishments it is up to the owner. With public places, it will be based on local or state laws which may not include electronic cigarettes in their anti smoking rules.

Was just curious as to any real danger. From the responses, my guess would be, it would be fairly safe, unless it was a 100 percent oxygen environment and possibly dry burning at the same time. Still, her use of the word "fumes" to describe the vapor was a little disconcerting and possibly innacurate.

 

[shedevil7953]

Our state doesn't allow it within 8 ft. of a public building, including office buildings. I can't vape in my office. Can't vape in restaurants. Out of courtesy, I think I wouldn't vape in a doctor's office or any medical facility. Whether or not people are educated about vaping isn't the point.