'Big Ox' Advises Customers to Inhale

KSFY.com of South Dakota has reported on 'Big Ox', a canister of pure oxygen that boasts benefits such as "claiming it can give you an energy boost, physical stamina, reduce stress, even cure a hangover". However, many parents are worried about the implications of 'huffing' anything, even if it is oxygen.

The can advises consumeres that "For best results, inhale the entire contents in one session, which could take 30 to 40 breaths."

Some are concerned that the cans, which look very similar to household cleaning aerosol cans. One parent from Sioux Falls was horrified to think that her children could buy the colorful cans from a convenience store and see inhaling products as entertainment.

Jim Green, a chemical dependency counselor, believes that,

"if young people see this as one way to do that, they may experiment with other inhalant types of things much more dangerous and many are outright deadly. It could considerably serve as a gateway to some of those more dangerous types of things."

He also said that the 'high' that Big Ox promises may come from inhaling so rapidly rather than from the oxygen itself. He recommended taking a walk around the block instead of purchasing this product, which is expensive - $13 for a large can.

One of the comments on the news story reads as follows:

"It is disgusting that a company is marketing such a product. Equally disgusting would be if businesses in this area would offer it for sale. Thank you, Reporter Haedicke for giving KSFY viewers a "heads-up" alert on this dangerous product. Anything that glamorizes and encourages a practice that kills people, most of them being our children, needs to be swiftly brought to the attention of the responsible public."

Should this product be receiving such censure? Do companies have a responsibility to change their products if they mimic other dangerous activities?

Here is BigOx's website.

About the contents:

"BigOx contains 89% pure oxygen in a personal bottle available in 4 different refreshing flavors. (Let’s note that the air we breathe contains 21% of pure oxygen. This is true only in places that are not highly elevated or polluted, in which case the percentage of oxygen is even less."

So what is the other 11%?

"The other 11% is composed of Nitrogen, Argon and trace amounts of other gases."

Are there any age restrictions?

"Though Big Ox is purely oxygen and is more clean than the air most of us breathe on a daily basis, it is recommended for people ages 18 and up. For those under the age of 18, it is recommended that parents or guardians monitor their child when using Big Ox to ensure its proper use."