One for the science nerds perhaps....
I've read a few posts with people saying the use of those 'use once' air-activated hand and foot warmers are dangerous. I've not been able to find much to support the claims in the posts, just the mention of increased PP02 possibly causing the formation of iron oxide (Fe2O3) to happen more aggressively which could result in greater heat output and nasty burns
I very much like the idea of being able to stick these warmers onto my socks and glove liners to keep my extremities warm with the mimimim of faff (and cost). But I'm not about to head down to 30m with the looming possibility I might re-surface with chemical burns! The inquisitive side of me must know what the actual risks are and how/why they happen. Has anyone on scubaboard actually used these warmers at depth and lived burn-free to tell the tale? If so, under what conditions did you use them (depth/gas/location in the suit)
In my normal scenario the drysuit would be inflated using a gas mix of 21% O2 (regular breathing gas). My questions really asks what the potential affect of the increased partial pressure of oxygen (PPO2) might have on the chemical reaction taking place in the hand warmer, and is this reaction safe at depth knowing that the PPO2 increases in the breathing gas (used to inflate the suit) in direct proportion to the absolute pressure, i.e depth.
Adam
I've read a few posts with people saying the use of those 'use once' air-activated hand and foot warmers are dangerous. I've not been able to find much to support the claims in the posts, just the mention of increased PP02 possibly causing the formation of iron oxide (Fe2O3) to happen more aggressively which could result in greater heat output and nasty burns
I very much like the idea of being able to stick these warmers onto my socks and glove liners to keep my extremities warm with the mimimim of faff (and cost). But I'm not about to head down to 30m with the looming possibility I might re-surface with chemical burns! The inquisitive side of me must know what the actual risks are and how/why they happen. Has anyone on scubaboard actually used these warmers at depth and lived burn-free to tell the tale? If so, under what conditions did you use them (depth/gas/location in the suit)
In my normal scenario the drysuit would be inflated using a gas mix of 21% O2 (regular breathing gas). My questions really asks what the potential affect of the increased partial pressure of oxygen (PPO2) might have on the chemical reaction taking place in the hand warmer, and is this reaction safe at depth knowing that the PPO2 increases in the breathing gas (used to inflate the suit) in direct proportion to the absolute pressure, i.e depth.
Adam