Oxygen concentration should be measured for respiratory safety and to assess an increased risk of what?

• A. Toxicity
• B. Corrosion
• C. Radiological
• D. Flammability

Answer: (D)

Oxygen concentration is checked in hazardous environments to gauge two safety aspects: whether there is enough oxygen for breathing and how the atmosphere might support combustion. While low oxygen levels threaten respiration, higher-than-normal oxygen levels create a much greater fire risk. Oxygen acts as the oxidizer in combustion, so enriching the atmosphere makes many materials ignite more easily, flames burn hotter and faster, and ignition sources that wouldn’t start fires in ordinary air can become ignition points. That’s why measuring O2 helps assess flammability risk. The other hazards listed are not directly tied to the concentration of oxygen in this context.