Oxygen is among the most indispensible things that are required for survival. Fortunately, this element is found most abundantly on the crust of the earth, as compounds of oxygen comprise a key component of all living beings, the oceans, and even the rocks. In effect, more than 62 per cent of the earth's crust (in terms of mass) is composed of oxygen. In addition, this essential element also comprises 65 per cent of all the constituents of the human body, counting blood, tissues, organs and skin.
Oxygen is a colorless, odourless gas which dissolves in water very easily. Every oxygen molecule is made up of two atoms of oxygen and is denoted by the chemical formula O2. It may be noted here that a molecule is the smallest amount of any chemical matter that is able to exist on its own devoid of altering or splitting up.
It may be noted that all our body functions involve oxygen and a continuous supply of oxygen is essential for our very survival. On average, an individual requires around 200 ml (approximately one cup) of oxygen every minute when they are relaxing and almost eight litres (about 2 gallon) of oxygen when they are undertaking any laborious activity. Our brain, which comprises a maximum of 2 per cent of our entire body mass, needs more than 20 per cent of our body's oxygen requirements. Although we can survive without taking food for many months at a stretch and even live without drinking water for a few days, it is impossible to survive without oxygen for over a few minutes.
At the same time, it needs to be mentioned that oxygen comprises about 21 per cent of the air we generally inhale. However, people who smoke or live in conditions that are intensely polluted may be inhaling less oxygen. When we inhale oxygen along with the air, it reacts with sugar (from the ingested food as well as those derived by breaking down starch and fats within the body) to turn out carbon dioxide, water as well as energy. The energy obtained by means of this process, which is actually a type of combustion, is stored in a compound form known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In fact, ATP is basically the fuel that we make use of to live, think as well as move about.
Our heart, lungs and the circulatory system distribute adequate quantities of oxygen to all parts of the body. The oxygen supplied from these sources generates the energy or fuel we require to live as well as to thrive. Simultaneously, the lungs carry the waste product, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), from the blood and release it to the air again. According to rough estimates, we inhale 2500 gallons of air every day. On the contrary, trees consume carbon dioxide and by means of the process called photosynthesis, alter carbon dioxide into oxygen and release it back to the air for us to use it again.
While we are in a closed and congested room packed with people, we often feel exhausted and lethargic. Despite the room being full of air, the air is actually scarce in oxygen and high in carbon dioxide content. Several studies have associated the high carbon dioxide level present in a jet aircraft to an assortment of health conditions, including headaches, fatigue as well as discomfort to the eyes, nose and throat. However, often these symptoms fade away within a few hours, when the passengers alight the aircraft and their consumption of oxygen resumes to regular.
Oxygen therapy actually facilitates in augmenting the feeling regarding good health and happiness in an individual who is short of oxygen owing to any ailment or injury. It may be noted that oxygen therapy may be either a continuous process or an interim treatment conditional on the requirements of the patient. Oxygen therapy is known to be helpful in lessening the burden of the heart in patients suffering from chronic obstructive lung disease, in addition to patients who have endured any ailment like pneumonia, wherein the lungs become feeble.