Oxygel

[Alric Kuhn]

Image Source: Googled “Gel Tablet”
Intent: In Order to create a product to help miners, spacers, and anyone who could ever lack oxygen
Development Thread: N/A
Manufacturer: Kuhn Consolidated
Model: Oxygel
Affiliation: Open-Market
Modularity: No
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Gel, Sekret Chemicals
Description:
Oxygel is a simply product in theory, though in practice it is both incredibly difficult in function, and production.

The product was designed specifically for miners and people who were often in low oxygen as well as toxic areas. Oxygel, simply put, reduces the amount of oxygen one requires for normal body function. This effect is achieved through the special chemicals within the Gel Tablet. One taken Oxygel by placing the tablet in the mouth, then biting down. Once this is done a person takes a very deep breath, then swallows the contents of the tablet. When this is done the effects of the tablet take one to five minutes to kick in.

The best explanation that has been offered by the company is that Oxygel simply slows down the bodies need for oxygen. This effects of course differs on different species depending on their own circulatory system, however in humans a single tablet of Oxygel work for three hours and reduces the required amount of oxygen needed in the air to about one third of normal levels.

As well as this helpful effect, Oxygel provides a thin coating of gel to the lungs and other organs making the user slightly less susceptible to airborne toxins.

It should be noted that the benefits of Oxygel can also be detrimental. When in a high oxygen content area Oxygel can actually lead to Oxygen Toxicity. Though this is not a problem in normal type atmosphere, in some others it can be detrimental.

Obviously Oxygel is most often used by miners and explorers in deep mines and in places where oxygen can be thin.

Oxygel is not a replacement for a gas mask or rebreather.
Primary Source: N/A

 

[Popo]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]
Under review 'cause this intrigues me immensely.

 

[Popo]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]
Alright, I took some time to read over this and did a fair bit of research. Sorry it took so long, I had a 60+ hour work week last week and was trying not to die from fatigue lol anyways, here's what I have.

Long and short, this won't keep anyone alive. It'll actually kill most oxygen dependent creatures. Here's why.

Using the human body as a basis, we need oxygen for our body processes. This drug coats the lungs and other organs with a gel-like substance. For the lungs, this prevents them from working. Lungs are similar to a sponge rather than empty space most folks assume it is. When you coat the lungs with a gel, you remove the lung's ability to intake oxygen and transfer it to the blood cells via alveoli. With the alveoli coated in gel, they can't transfer the oxygen to the blood stream at all. The drug removes a lot of the body's need for oxygen, but this would cut it off entirely. The body would starve for air until it shuts down leading to respiratory arrest and death.

Coating the organs puts a layer of gel over the surface. This can cause the body to go into high alert through the immune system, leading to white blood cell production. At best, this can make you very sick. At worst, this can send you into anaphylactic shock leading to respiratory or cardiac arrest and death. Not to mention that it would cause a buildup of fluids in the body cavities and cause increased pressure internally, meaning organs have a hard time functioning, start shutting down, or even collapsing.

For oxygen toxicity, this drug reduces the need for oxygen, but the human body naturally attempts to regulate itself to homeostasis (natural balance). Standard respirations or breaths for the average adult human is ~20 breaths a minute. Reducing the oxyen need of the body may not allow the body to maintain homeostasis, meaning the body only needs 1/3rd of the oxygen it previously needed, but the body is still breathing at ~20 breaths a minute. In low oxygen environments, this isn't that big of a problem, but as soon as you get to standard oxygen levels (room air) you're retaining more oxygen than you're expending, leading to oxygen toxicity at room air.

When it comes to high pressure/low oxygen atmospheres, the goal isn't less oxygen need, its pressure and oxygen purity. I'd suggest looking at the air mixtures and pressures that divers and deep miners use and the equipment they utilize to maintain the necessary pressures to survive.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Popo"] Well, i learned something new today.

Archive this for now please and i'll come back tot he idea and rethink it

 

[Popo]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]
Alrighty. Archived on submitter's request.

On a side note, if you need any advice on medical stuff, gimme a shout