Topic: The Oxygen Dilemma: Can Too Much O2 Kill?

[sam]

Oxygen is vital for life—without it, severe brain damage may ensue in as little as three minutes. So doctors routinely treat traumas such as heart attack or stroke by providing victims with more oxygen. Mounting evidence suggests, however, that resuscitating with too much of the gas may actually have a harmful effect. The culprit in brain damage may not be a lack of oxygen but rather its reintroduction into the body.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-oxygen-dilemma