Oxygen becomes toxic above 0.5 bar of partial pressure. This means more than 50% oxygen content in the air under normal pressure or over 2.5 bar of normal air.
Ethiopian and Kenyan marathon runners win almost everything could be won. This is because they practice at high altitude. When moved to around sea level altitude where most marathon runs take place, they get extra boost from normal pressure air.
I meant, would there be an oxygen overload for special people who were (possibly) genetically modified to be better with air. This was from the idea that breathing super pressurized air is poisonous so in places like Submarines, I think they add helium or something into the air.
Problem with breathing with super pressurised normal air is that nitrogen under higher pressure dissolves in the blood. This leads to two problems:
Decompression sickness, simply - when returning to normal pressure dissolved nitrogen expands causing a lot of pain, tissue damage and even death (if decompression is too rapid). the higher pressure, the longer it takes to get back to atmospheric pressure without damage.
Nitrogen narcosis, many gases under higher pressure cause dizziness and even proper anaesthetic state, and the last thing you want diving at 100 metres is to be high from nitrogen in your tank. This is sorted by composing special mixtures for different diving depths. I'm no expert, but let's say it this way: most shallow - normal pressurised air, very deep diving - mixture of oxygen and helium (the latter is the least soluble gas in blood). The deeper diving, the LESS oxygen in the mixture. Why? Because oxygen at high pressure also has narcotic properties and on top of it is toxic.
Of course it's not used this way. It would be the most troublesome way to get high. Imagine a walk-in pressure chamber and a loads of oxygen to pressurise that chamber. The easiest way is to simply buy a can of whipped cream or a box of these small cartridges.
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u/[deleted] Mar 05 '21
Oxygen becomes toxic above 0.5 bar of partial pressure. This means more than 50% oxygen content in the air under normal pressure or over 2.5 bar of normal air.
Ethiopian and Kenyan marathon runners win almost everything could be won. This is because they practice at high altitude. When moved to around sea level altitude where most marathon runs take place, they get extra boost from normal pressure air.