Vaseline Yes/NO

[Mr_Ed]

There seems to be quite a bit of controversy even among People Who Should Know Such Things about whether petroleum can spontaneously combust in the presence of pure oxygen.

This sounds like a job for Myth Busters.

I wouldn't take the chance myself.

I think the confusion is most people don't understand the principle. Vaseline does not catch fire with oxygen. It combusts. There is a difference. I've seen (and helped treat) patients that decided to use vaseline on their chapped nostrils while using a nasal canula with oxygen. It isn't pretty.

There's a reason why when you go to the hospital, and ask for vaseline for chapped lips, they give you something that is water based and not petroleum based.

[Fredman]

Same for the NO flame sign in a room with O2 supplement.

Cause an explosion??
HOW?? unless an expl;osive heppens to be present, and then it would explode in ordinary air.

But his will never stop the chicken littles.....

I am no scientist...and have no idea about the interaction of O2 and Vaseline. Google might help.

BUT...Tom my friend, I know from experience that O2 supplementation and possible explosion or fire is POSSIBLE. My mother who was on oxygen, and a terribly addicted smoker and suffering from dimentia, lit a cigarette one day while she was on oxygen. Immediately flames burst out of candula and her face was in flame. Fortunately, a friend was present and ripped the candula from her face she suffered First and Second degree burns. The unit worked on pressure just like our CPAPs so that when you don't breathe no O2 is not released. I hate to think what would have happened if the unit was on constant pressure!

Either you are a doubting Thomas or very cynical of institutions with signs or maybe even a smoker who resents those signs - maybe all three!

[fire549]

Oxygen will greatly intensify any flame. Just look at the oxyacetylene torch.

[brian2223]

So if no vaseline then what? I have a Opus 360 and My nose hurts LOL. What can be use not wether vaseline is flammable or not. I could care less. Just looking for information.

[tomjax]

Maybe I am a bit of a skeptic by nature.

I would seriously question and doubt the person who said there was a big problem, without being specific, when a person put vaseline in his/her nares while on O2.

I can possibly believe that a person smoking while on o2 can have the cig go up in flame.

This stretches it a bit but maybe this can happpen if 100 pct O2 is breathed back thru the cig.,

I will not believe that vaseline at body tems will be a problem in the presence of O2.
But what do I know?

I believe in probability and outcome.
I cannot explain the recent UFOs in UK.
I think the probability of them being extraterrrestial are very slim- approaching zero, But cannot explain them.
The probability is not zero and so it is possible.
I do not know why there are so many beautiful babies and so many ugly adults.
But what do I know?

[OldLincoln]

As a Project Manager, I see risk as a 2 sided coin. The probability of it happening and the consequences if it does. I always wear seat belts but haven't needed them for over 30 years. I check my oil levels before leaving on a long trip - but not around town. I don't loose sleep over a ton of small stuff with tiny consequences.

If I checked it out and thought Vaseline mixed with CPAP or even low mix of O2 could catch me on fire, I wouldn't use it. Period, end of story, QED!

[roster]

[quote="mindy"]Here's my favorite reference for vaseline if used to seal nasal pillows masks - not a good thing. Also, not supposed to use oil-based on silicone as noted above. There are alternatives depending on what your need is for this.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/petrol ... ly/AN00947

Mindy

[lcook7281]

I contacted both resmed and respironics reguarding the issue. Resmed is nice enough to give a phone number and when I explained I was in need of an answer fast, the helped with it. Respironics gave basically the same answer but I had to wait for an e-mail answer from the.

So the final word on vaseline and nasal pillows:

"The cushions are silicone so Vaseline or any other petroleum based product will break it down. " quoted from an e-mail from respironics. Resmed said basically the same thing.

However, Resmed did have a suggestion. For those with sore noses they recommend Aloe Vera.