Aluminum scuba cylinders in oxygen-enriched and oxygen service – can I fill my Luxfer aluminum scuba cylinder with pure oxygen so that I can use it for decompression?

Yes, if you follow the Luxfer requirements listed below, which must be met both for pure oxygen and gas mixtures containing more than 23.5% oxygen:

• The cylinder must have been properly cleaned, tested for cleanliness and maintained in a proper state of cleanliness for oxygen service in strict accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), specifically U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) CFR49 173.302(b).
• The cylinder must be equipped with an oxygen-compatible valve and be filled only by oxygen-clean, properly maintained filling equipment dedicated to oxygen service.
• The cylinder must never be fast-filled or over-pressurized.
• Proper safety procedures for handling and dispensing oxygen prescribed by the DOT and U.S. Compressed Gas Association (CGA) must be followed at all times. In fact, Luxfer further recommends that anyone in the scuba industry who handles pure oxygen in a Luxfer cylinder become familiar with and follow current guidelines concerning cleanliness, filling, storage, usage and maintenance of oxygen cylinders provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum and composite medical oxygen cylinders, Luxfer has a great deal of experience with cylinders in pure oxygen service and with the FDA guidelines that promote safe oxygen usage. Luxfer’s experience has shown that following FDA guidelines is a practical and effective way of preventing oxygen-related accidents.