Medical oxygen is high purity oxygen that is used for medical treatments and is developed for use in the human body. Medical oxygen cylinders contain a high purity of oxygen gas; no other types of gases are allowed in the cylinder to prevent contamination. There are additional requirements and rules for medical oxygen, including requiring a person to have a prescription to order medical oxygen.
Industrial oxygen is focused on uses in industrial plants including combustion, oxidation, cutting and chemical reactions. The industrial oxygen purity levels are not appropriate for human use and there could be impurities from dirty equipment or industrial storage that could make people ill.
FDA Sets Requirements for Medical Oxygen
Medical oxygen requires a prescription as the US Food and Drug Administration regulates medical oxygen. The FDA wants to assure user safety and that patients are getting the correct percentage of oxygen for their needs. As people are different sizes and require different amounts of medical oxygen for their specific medical conditions, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why patients are required to visit their doctor and get a prescription for medical oxygen.
The FDA also requires the medical oxygen cylinders to be free of contaminants and there to be a chain of custody to verify that the cylinder is only being used for medical oxygen. Cylinders that had been previously used for other purposes wouldn’t be used for medical-grade oxygen unless the cylinders were evacuated, thoroughly cleaned, and labeled appropriately.
Post time: May-14-2024