A startling revelation regarding plane oxygen masks has left people amazed.
Many passengers might assume that the masks, which descend from the overhead compartments during emergencies, are connected to a substantial oxygen tank securely stored somewhere on the aircraft.
However, a TikTok video posted by @JoeSpinsTheGlobe revealed the fact that plane oxygen masks on planes aren't connected to an air tank at all.
He goes on to elaborate that this type of device is employed due to its capacity to compress a substantial amount of oxygen into a remarkably small space, as the oxygen is stored in solid form as sodium chlorate.
In a video, he said: "You guys know those oxygen masts on Aeroplanes? You know, the ones that drop down in case of an emergency and you're supposed to put yours on before you help anybody else with theirs?
"Those masks are not connected to an oxygen tank or any kind of air tank at all.
"What they are connected to, I think, is far more interesting and, as it turns out, safer and more reliable.
"The device is called an oxygen generator, and it's able to pack a lot of oxygen in a tiny space because the oxygen is stored as a solid in the form of sodium chlorate."
He added: 'Under this extreme heat, sodium chlorate decomposes into mostly oxygen gas and table salt. The oxygen passes through a filter and down the tubing to your mask, where you breathe it in'.
The video quickly went viral, leaving people shocked by the revelation
One person said: Whilst this may be true in the majority of cases, some aircraft such as the Boeing 747 do/did have passenger oxygen supplied from a tank!
A second wrote: And what you don't get told is the air from the chemical reaction only lasts about 15 mins, enough time to rapidly descend to breathable altitude.
A third said: So people really think that a plane carries an enormous tank of extremely combustible oxygen and that wouldn't be dangerous at all.
Another comment: Some of you may remember ValuJet 592, a plane that crashed in the Florida Everglades. The cause was determined to be expired oxygen generators in cargo that ignited.
Someone else wrote: As an aircraft engineer, I can tell you there are aircraft that have cabin oxygen gas cylinders that feed a manifold, rather than individual O2 Generators, I know as I have spent 100s of hours in my career topping the cylinder up and doing checks on them.
For pressurized aircraft that are certified to operate above 25,000', emergency oxygen equipment must be available. Some aircraft utilize cylinders of pressurised oxygen to meet this requirement but most types are fitted with chemical oxygen generators. So it can be either or but isn't 100% always generators. Another added.
