Certified Hyperbaric Technologist Practice Test 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The half-hour of carbon monoxide (CO) breathing air at sea level is equivalent to 5 hours and 20 minutes of exposure at that pressure based on the principles of hyperbaric medicine. This equivalency is derived from the understanding that the effects of carbon monoxide are significantly enhanced by pressure changes in the environment. When determining the time equivalence for CO exposure, it’s important to consider the fact that the duration of exposure at sea level must be adjusted by the partial pressure of oxygen present in a hyperbaric chamber.

At sea level, you are breathing air with a normal atmospheric pressure of approximately 1 atmosphere (ATA). When considering hyperbaric treatments, the pressure is increased, and thus the "time at risk" for CO exposure is multiplied due to increased oxygen availability.

In this scenario, the conversion factor usually applied is related to the resolution of carbon monoxide toxicity and is recognized as a standard in hyperbaric practices. This duration can represent the cumulative toxic effects of carbon monoxide, where half an hour at sea level, a standard condition, may equate to significantly longer exposure at the same partial pressures in a therapeutic setting, consequently indicating 5 hours and 20 minutes as a safe timeframe for recovery.

This foundational knowledge in hyperbar