People can’t believe oxygen masks on planes aren’t connected to an air tank at all
- People are shocked after learning how oxygen is supplied to masks on planes
- A TikTok from @JoeSpinsTheGlobe explains how oxygen reaches masks
People are shocked to learn that airplane oxygen masks are not connected to an air tank.
A TikTok from @JoeSpinsTheGlobe explained how the oxygen supplied to these masks does not come from an oxygen tank.
Joe goes on to explain that the device used to supply oxygen to masks found on commercial airplanes is actually called an oxygen generator.
He explains that the reason this type of device is used is its ability to “contain a lot of oxygen in a tiny space, because the oxygen is stored in a solid form in the form of sodium chlorate.”
Studying how oxygen is released by the generator so people can breathe, Joe says, “When you lower the mask, a firing pin fires and ignites the primer, which heats up to over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.” .
A TikTok from @JoeSpinsTheGlobe explained how the oxygen supplied to these masks does not come from an oxygen tank. Joe goes on to explain that the device used to supply oxygen to masks found on commercial airplanes is actually called an oxygen generator.
He continues: “Under this extreme heat, sodium chlorate primarily decomposes into oxygen gas and table salt. The oxygen passes through a filter and down the tube to your mask, where you breathe it.
The device, also known as an oxygen candle because of the way it burns, has left TikTok users in disbelief.
One user said: “How have I never thought about where the oxygen comes from? I just accepted that it was there and that it worked??’.
Another offered helpful advice from a cabin crew perspective, sharing: “As a flight attendant, we are taught that it is very important to let passengers know that they need to lower the mask to start the flow of oxygen.
A third thanked Joe for sharing this handy tip, commenting: “I didn’t know that. My 11 year old nephew and I learned something new today. THANKS.’
The important advice on how to use oxygen masks comes after the devices failed on a Rossiya Airlines plane during a 25,000-foot dive in February.
An “old” Boeing-737-800 was forced to make an emergency landing in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, because the ten-minute descent caused extreme cabin depressurization.
Five people required medical attention due to the sharp drop in pressure on board the Rossiya Airlines plane.
