Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment where a person breathes pure oxygen within a pressurized chamber. This highly controlled environment promotes healing by dramatically increasing the amount of oxygen dissolved in the bloodstream. Due to the unique conditions, extremely strict safety protocols are required to prevent hazards. The prohibition of common personal care products, like deodorant, is a crucial rule because of the extreme fire risk inherent in this hyper-oxygenated setting.
Understanding the Hyperbaric Environment
The hyperbaric chamber creates an atmosphere fundamentally different from normal room air by introducing high pressure and high oxygen concentration. Pressure inside the chamber is typically raised to two to three times the normal atmospheric pressure at sea level, often expressed as 2 to 3 atmospheres absolute (ATA). This increased pressure forces more oxygen into the body’s tissues.
The oxygen supply is often 100% pure oxygen, delivered directly to the patient via a mask or through the chamber’s atmosphere itself. This combination of elevated pressure and pure oxygen creates a highly reactive environment. In this setting, materials that are only mildly flammable in normal air become significantly more volatile. This extreme change in atmospheric composition elevates the risk of combustion and flash fire.
The Chemistry of Flammability Risk
The primary reason deodorant is banned is because its ingredients act as fuel in a high-oxygen environment. For a fire to ignite, fuel, oxygen, and an ignition source must be present. The chamber already provides an overabundance of oxygen, which is the key factor that amplifies the fire hazard.
Many personal care products, including deodorants, contain volatile ingredients such as alcohol, aerosol propellants (like butane or propane), oils, or petroleum bases. These chemicals easily vaporize and mix with the surrounding air. When these vapors mix with 100% oxygen under pressure, they become saturated with the oxidizer.
This oxygen saturation dramatically lowers the material’s ignition temperature. A substance requiring a high-temperature flame to ignite in normal air could be set ablaze by a tiny spark or static electricity in the hyperbaric environment. Flammable ingredients on a person’s skin or clothing become highly combustible. This can lead to a catastrophic flash fire, which spreads rapidly and intensely.
Essential Safety Protocols and Prohibited Items
To mitigate fire risk, safety protocols forbid any item that could serve as fuel or an ignition source. Patients must arrive with clean, product-free skin, avoiding lotions, perfumes, hairsprays, and makeup. These items are prohibited because they contain the same volatile, flammable chemicals as deodorant.
The list of banned items extends beyond personal care products to eliminate all potential ignition sources. This includes all electronics, such as phones and laptops, as well as metal objects like jewelry, watches, and coins, which can conduct electricity or cause sparks. Furthermore, synthetic clothing materials like nylon and polyester are strictly prohibited because they can generate static electricity, a potential ignition source in the oxygen-rich atmosphere.
Patients are typically required to wear 100% cotton garments, often provided by the clinic, because cotton is less likely to generate static electricity than synthetic fabrics. Adherence to these safety guidelines is mandatory because the enclosed, pressurized nature of the chamber makes rapid evacuation impossible during a fire. These rules ensure the safety of everyone inside the chamber.